Everything Went Wrong
by Vladgurl
Summary: Namek Saga BV Vegeta finds out Bulma can locate the Dragonballs and kidnaps her to find them for him. Will she do it, or can she change his mind before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

A/N:This is an idea I got a while back and I don't think its ever been done. I know, I know, a lot of people say that about their stories surrounding these two, but I honestly have never seen one quite like this! If you have, let me know. Review and tell me what you think!

Enter Standard Discalimer Here:

I don't own Dragonball Z, duh

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Everything Went Wrong 

Chapter 1

The brightly shining sun and the warm summer-like breeze did nothing to cheer up the thick tension that plagued the occupants of the planet. Bulma's eyes nervously shot back and forth between the ruthless Saiyan and her short bald friend, and she couldn't help but shudder in fear. She had just witnessed the cold-blooded Saiyan slaughter some blue skinned man and now he was advancing on them. His dark sinister eyes blazed with a bloodlust that in no way resembled that of a man's. The menacing sneer he wore corrupted his wretched features even further, making him look more like a mindless demon puppet wrought from hell rather then a mere normal mortal.

Her body froze up. She could feel her body trembling as he approached and the fast beating of her meek human heart. Meek, meek enough for that minion of hell to sink his claws into and tear out then crush the soft vital organ in this clutches in front of her face and laugh. Bulma felt a bone-shivering chill spill down her back. Her feet, somehow finding strength to move, slowly inched back as the monster took a predatory step forward. Her dear friend Kuririn, though stronger then she, was no match for the Saiyan. He stood bravely before her, though the shaking of his legs let her know just as well as she, he would be no match should the monster attack.

"I'll ask one last time," His voice, cold and ringing with emptiness, bled in her ears. "Give me the Dragonball."

Kuririn gulped silently. She noticed the beads of sweat gathering and falling in rivulets down his face. His eyes were shaking and he gulped again, most likely his throat constricted and allowed no answer to escape. Her keen, fear induced senses picked up the Saiyan growl. He _growled, _like some kind of beast. He took another step forward and Bulma took two steps back. Her eyes, disobeying her brain's command, stared mesmerized into the monster's eyes. Her throat tightened and no manner of gulping or licking of dry lips seemed to cure her sudden dry mouth or loosen the tightened invisible ball in her throat.

"I- I won't tell you!" The voice of her dear friend Kuririn, trying so hard to be brave even though he knew all efforts were in vein.

This did not appease the Saiyan and he let loose another one of his menacing growls. The scowl that he wore morphed into something different, something darker for in that split second, he changed from frothing monster to a sadistic mindless killing machine.

"You continue to disappoint me, bald man." The Saiyan's voice also had gotten deeper and more threatening. He paused in his steps, then took a thoughtful look in her direction, sending a tital wave of fear and panic to slam against her visciously.

"If you don't give me what I want, the girl dies."

A flash of light and the razor sharp edge of his voice, and Bulma's heart stopped in her chest. In that second she forgot how to breathe, her vision began to blur white and her head felt light and dizzy. She felt her jaw tremble and didn't know how her legs could still support her shaking body.

Kuririn took a surprised looked behind him and stared wide-eyed at Bulma. Turning back he faced the flame-haired Saiyan. The serious look in his dead eyes let them know he wasn't joking. In his hand was a ball of energy that he held so carelessly you would think it was harmless. And…by gods, if she thought his scowl was wicked, her fear and distress only doubled at the sight of that monster with a sadistic grin on his ugly face.

"Don't hurt her, she's an innocent and has nothing to do with this! Why would you even waste you energy on someone as weak as she?"

If it were at any other place at any other time, Bulma would have scolded Kuririn for insulting her. However, right now Bulma was what too busy shaking in fear even to notice Kuririn speak. If she would have been paying attention, she would have realized Kuririn was trying to persuade the Saiyan from killing her.

"You think I care about some weak little female?" His gruff chuckle, dripping with mockery, boomed loud in her ears making her blood rush harder. But his grin slowly faded and his face twisted into a scowl of disgust.

"Do you take me for some kind of idiot?" He yelled in a sudden dose of anger. "Why else would you have brought such a fickle little girl with you here unless she had a significant purpose?"

He then laughed, "I bet she's the pilot of your primitive Earth vessel, its obvious _you _don't have the brains to do it …and it would be such a shame to have her die and for you to be stranded here on this miserable rock so far away from home." His sarcasm was thick and his throaty laugh made shivers of dread slither down her back like a cluster of snakes and worms wriggling under her skin.

Kuririn looked back at her, the look of terror written clearly across his blanched face, though she was certain hers did not look much better.

"Time to decide baldy." He advanced again and the impatient tone in his voice dropped on a bigger wave of anxiety.

The thudding of his boots and the humming of his energy ball was all Bulma's mind could process. Her mind was spinning thoughts a thousand paces a second. Her entire life began to pass before her eyes; the time she found the Dragonball in her basement, the first time she met Son-kun, when she first saw Yamcha.

With every crunch of grass under the Saiyan's feet, memories flew across her mind. When Son-kun and the crew first summoned the Eternal Dragon, watching all her friends participate in the martial arts tournament… tears began to form in her eyes …the fight against Piccolo Daimyo…

"Time's up."

Bulma's body locked up. Her breath, already deep and haggard, came out harsher until she began to hyperventilate and finally her lungs seemed to constrict and she could no longer find the strength to intake precious air. The blood pumping through her ears was so loud she could hear nothing else, save her loud drumming heart. Her blue eyes, brimmed and shinning with crystal tears, opened wide as the Saiyan pulled back his hand...

and threw the ball of energy straight at her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is going to be AU obviously so there are a few changes from the actual manga/anime that I need to explain.

1: Vegeta has collected NO dragonballs so far, that includes the one he hid, and the ones he stole from Freeza

2:Freeza has collected only three so there are four still out there

3:The Nameks actually have a brain and hide the Dragonballs when they hear that Freeza is looking for them.

That's it for now, hope this doesn't confuse anyone. I'll explain these in the story a little deeper if you have any questions. Thanks to all who reviewed.

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Everything Went Wrong 

Chapter 2

"Bulma!"

The light coming from the blast seemed to trigger back some of her senses and Bulma opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Her throat lacked any moisture and was totally useless to even let the smallest of whimpers escape. She closed her eyes and blocked her face with her hands, a meaningless thing to do she knew, but it was all her mind could think of.

Bracing herself, Bulma waited for her death, only to feel nothing. She didn't feel the pain of the energy as it burned away her flesh, in fact, she felt very alive and terrified. Instead of hearing her own screams, Bulma heard someone else howl painfully and what sounded like something smashing up against rocks. Eyes opened wide, Bulma seemed to jump to life.

"Kuririn!" She shrieked and ran over to her fallen friend. Her legs, still shaking, bent down to examine him. He was burned in many places, and bruised in many others, but alive. He grunted in pain as she lifted to support his neck.

"B-Bulma- you have to get out of here." Kuririn gasped out. He looked up at her, one eye sealed shut in pain. The energy had been extremely strong, too strong in fact to have wasted against her alone. The attack had just enough power to have been meant to hit Kuririn.

"I can't leave you!" Tears began to fill her vision.

Behind her, the Saiyan laughed.

"You monster!" Bulma shouted. Her anger blaring sapphire eyes glared all of her pain and anger at him. Tears were still leaking down her face, but she somehow found the courage to stand up to him.

The Saiyan continued to laugh. "Oh, so she does speak. So you got lucky and the bald one jumped in to take the hit." He smirked knowingly. "Well, he is in no condition to do that again and I won't miss next time."

"Bastard!"

He reared his head back and laughed heartedly. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he enjoyed tormenting them.

"You've got a mouth on you, I'll give you that. Too bad for you I don't like my women outspoken."

A ball of energy began to form in his hand and Bulma felt the wave of fear suddenly take wind and crash upon her again, paralyzing her and sealing up her voice.

"N-No…" It was Kuririn. He was barely conscious but still trying to make an effort to protect her.

"You're still alive? Honestly you humans don't know how to die, no matter." He lifted the accumulating energy ball in his hand and reared it back.

"Wait!" It was Bulma this time. Panic set in and she instinctually held out her hand to halt him.

His hand stalled mid-air and he glared at her. Bulma shivered but forced her voice out of her throat.

"Don't kill him please…I'll help you find all the Dragonballs just don't kill him… Please." She whimpered and tears fled down her rosy cheeks. A few dropped from her face and landed on the bald head of her friend. He looked at her, face in an unreadable expression.

"Bulma…" He whispered, if in pity, sorrow, or betrayal she couldn't tell.

He passed out in her arms.

The Saiyan- Vegeta was his name if her memory still served her- narrowed his eyes on her. "You can locate _all _the Dragonballs?"

In her time of desperation she had overlooked her little slip and now realized her grave mistake. He had no idea they had the dragon radar. He was only trying to find out where Kuririn hid the one Dragonball in there possession. She realized to her dismay, that it was too late to stray out of it now.

Bulma nodded her head solemnly, choking on the sob that raked over her body, while her head was screaming at her for what brutal betrayal she was about to commit.

"Promise me you'll let Kuririn live and I'll do whatever you want." She sniffed. She couldn't even look him in the face. She felt so weak and ashamed and was sadly glad Kuririn was no longer conscious to hear what she was saying.

"How noble of you." The apathetic tone in his voice made Bulma sob loudly again. She couldn't look up to meet his gaze, but heard the thumping of his boots slowly approach her.

Feeling pathetic and ashamed, Bulma didn't even move. If he believed her or not it didn't matter anymore. If he killed her right now it didn't matter anymore. It was all over for them. She let out another soft whimper. Everything was going wrong. This was not supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be here. They were just supposed to gather the dragonball and wish back their friends and return home. How could everything come out so wrong?

She could feel him hovering over her and unconsciously hugged her unconscious friend tighter. She was weak and stood no chance against him so there was no point in fighting back. She had no choice but to listen to him and let him do as he pleased. His boots were in her line of vision. He was no doubt probably deciding if he should trust her or not. It didn't matter, one way or another he would get the Dragonball they were hiding. She hugged the large bulge of her stomach.

His hand came down and grabbed her chin roughly. Bulma didn't fight back as he lifted her face to stare at her, but she did flinch. Her eyes, red from tears, looked away. He stayed that way for a while, which made Bulma uneasy. She bit her lip to keep from letting out another sob in fear. Against her best efforts, a solemn tear rolled down her cheek and was absorbed in the material of his gloved hand.

"You are afraid of me, aren't you?" He asked in a tone that sounded so dead and devoid of any emotion, she had to shiver.

Bulma could only nod her head. Still held captive in his disgusting grip, his thumb brushed almost affectionately against her chin. His touch made her insides shrivel up inside. It madew an unpleasant feeling wriggle around in her stomach like a churning pit of worms. It felt disgusting to have him touch her like so, and made the bile rise in her mouth. She wished wistfully that he would hurry and end her life so she would no longer have to suffer such a vile sensation.

His hand traveled up her face and to her hair where it aggressively combed through. Bulma let out a pathetic yelp as his hand pulled at the kinks as he tried to smoothly run his hands through it. She winced and closed her eyes.

"Such an odd coloring…" She heard him murmur to himself.

Then his hand was gone and Bulma opened her eyes and against her better judgment, looked up at the flame haired Saiyan. He frowned down at her. A chill of fire tongued down her back as she looked into his eyes. How such empty coldness existed in one's eyes terrified her beyond belief. The look of utter detachment that frosted his cold eyes was almost so natural to his face it scared her.

"Get up." Vegeta commanded.

Hastily, Bulma put her unconscious friend on the ground and made it to her feet to standbefore him. Her tears had dried up but the lump in her throat still constricted at his close proximity. He was staring at her in a scrutinizing manner. She dared not speak, but chewed her lip she was sure was going to bleed from all her nervous biting.

Vegeta circled her once, eyeing her up and down then stood before her, his frown in place.

"You better not be lying to me, girl." He said in a threatening manner. He looked down at her body, then back up to her gaze. "And don't think I'll go easy on you because you're with child."

Bulma hugged her stomach instinctually and felt the unnatural bulge under her yellow space suit. It was actually quite a brilliant idea, even though it wasn't intended to be. Kuririn flew in a hurry before her holding the biggest Dragonball she had ever seen. He told her that Vegeta was right behind them and that he needed to hide the Dragonball So Vegeta didn't know they had one. Since the Dragonball was so big, hiding it seemed almost impossible with Vegeta on their tail. When Vegeta was in sighting rage in the sky panic shot into her. Not knowing a place to hide the gigantic ball, Bulma hastily pushed it under her shirt as he came in for a landing. Of course she wasn't thinking rationally about its placement seeing as everyone would notice her bulging stomach, but now… well, Vegeta must have thought her stomach bulged for a very _different _reason.

After he landed they were approached by a blue looking man who, in Bulma's eyes, wasn't _that_ bad to look at. Vegeta killed him right before them both and then threatened them to state their purpose on Namek. It was then that Kuririn unintenually let it slip about the Dragonball they had hidden. Oh the irony of it all! Bulma let out a deep sigh in her mind. For right now, the Dragonball would be safe, just as long as he didn't realize she was pretending to be pregnant with a Dragonball instead of a baby.

"Well?" Vegeta growled impatiently. "How do _you_ locate the Dragonballs!"

Bulma jumped at the volume of his voice. She scurried into her back pocket. Out she pulled the Dragon radar, inwardly praising herself for building an extra _just _in case. Before she had time to even turn it on, it was snatched from her hands like candy.

Vegeta pulled the tracking system from her hands and Bulma almost forgot who she was dealing with and scolded him. His brow furrowed as he studied the radar. He turned it over in his hands a few times, then pressed the tab at the top. Immediately the radar began to beep to life. She watched as his eyes widened as he stared down at its green face. He pushed it a few more times and markings began to appear.

"What are all these symbols?" He questioned.

Bulma hesitantly moved closer, still very aware of how dangerous this man was, and very carefully took the radar from his hands. "It's Japanese, the language I speak at home." Bulma almost choked at the mention of home. She was probably never going to see it again. Not her mother, her father, her friends, her house, or even the small green and blue planet they all dwelled upon.

She heard the Saiyan grunt and he crossed his arms. A most arrogant of actions she had to say, for someone who didn't like to admit he didn't know something.

"Then I assume you will be reading the transmissions? You'd better not try and trick me girl, or I will kill you."

Bulma gulped and nodded her head. "I-I can read the radar if you n-navigate."

Vegeta nodded his head and grunted. "Good." He said. "Then we have no need for your little bald friend."

Bulma couldn't help but gasp. "But you said you'd let him live!" The words left her mouth and she momentarily forgot her fear.

He growled. "I am not going to kill the little man. I do have some semblance of honor you know." He glared angrily at her. "You, however I made no such promise for. If I shall for any reason find your value becoming excessive in anyway, I will waste no time in finishing you."

Again Bulma gulped and nodded her head finding once again that her voice abandoned her. He began to approach her again and Bulma flinched slightly. Her legs took her a step back as he advanced even though she knew it was beyond useless to try and escape.

When he reached her she was surprised when he leaned over and threw her over his shoulder. Bulma let out a yelp as her world turned upside-down. Hurriedly she grabbed the Dragonball under her shirt and steadied it in place so it wouldn't pop out and give her away.

"Don't squirm or I will drop you." Vegeta warned and took off into the air.

Bulma felt the rush of takeoff and while upside down, it made her stomach drop into her scull. He picked up speed. The blood pumped into her head and for a second she thought she was going to pass out, that or puke up what she had for luch.

"Hurry up and tell me where your freak show of a friend hid the Dragonball." Vegeta said over his shoulder.

Bulma, slightly muddled and very queasy, pointed blindly in one direction where she noticed the closest Dragonball. Even though she knew this was a different one then the one she had under her shirt, the fact that _he _didn't know that was keeping her alive. For all he knew Kuririn could have hidden it on the other side of the planet. With that, Vegeta flew off like a pistol with a fearful Bulma slung across his back.

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A/N: questions and comments (even flames I don't care) are welcome. Don't forget to review! 


	3. Chapter 3

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 3

Bulma felt her body go numb from the waist down. Vegeta was carrying her, during their short flight, with her slung over his uncomfortable shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The offending armor he wore stabbed at her midsection and her legs were growing cold and numb as they dangled by his front, leaving her to stare at the trail of his impressive Ki as he flew farther and farther away.

As if knowing how uncomfortable she was and wanting to make her suffer more, he lurched to a stop so suddenly she felt all her blood slam into her head. She felt nauseous as her stomach did flip-flops. A groan left her lips, and she unconsciously grabbed at the Dragonball she hid under her shirt. Her body felt like jelly, she couldn't even twitch her leg without feeling the intense numbing prickling attack the limb. Bulma wanted to howl and yell at him for his ill treatment of her, but her fear had still crippled her voice. Instead, she chose to whimper lightly and squeeze her eyes shut trying to wish all the events from the day away.

"Who's there?" She heard Vegeta call out with a growl.

Bulma opened her eyes and wondered in confusion what the Saiyan was talking about. His voice was loud and echoed over the sky as if he were trying to address someone. Everything was quiet. Not even the birds seemed to dare sing in the presence of Vegeta.

"I know you're somewhere around here, there is no sense in hiding!"

Someone was close by? Bulma felt the tears entering her eyes as she lingered over the idea of somebody rescuing her. She wanted nothing more then to get his disgusting hands off her and run as far away from him and never look back.

"You cannot hide from me; this is your last warning. Show yourself now or I will just blow you away."

A sharp pang of fear shot into her gut as Vegeta lifted his palm. She heard rather then saw the ball of energy forming in his hand. The faint humming was all too familiar with her ears from the last time she had encountered such a sinister endeavor. He couldn't fire that thing; it would destroy her only hope of escape. If he killed this mystery person, then she would have no chance to ever get out of his gluttonous clutches again.

"H-help me! Please!! Help me!!" Bulma screeched and began to struggle on Vegeta's shoulder, trying desperately to get the stranger's attention. Her struggling caught the Saiyan off guard and he growled as he tried to hold her still.

"Quiet!" Vegeta roared at her and Bulma whimpered once again. He growled as she tried to worm off his shoulder and he was forced to shift her and hold her at his side. He glared murderously at her and Bulma bit her lip to keep from shrieking at the intensity of his eyes. Those eyes…

"If you value your life you will shut the fuck up."

The voice that escaped his throat was harsh and cold. His growl rumbled from his chest slithered over her body making her shiver. His eyes held such burning fury in them Bulma felt a part of her shrivel up and wither away with just one glance. They were as black as his soul, bleak and callous and as cold as ice. She found herself nodding, unable to relieve herself of the tightening in her throat enough to speak.

There was a scuffle of sounds just below them, then the sound of a startled gasp. A tiny head peered over one jutted rock and two black eyes opened wide with fear.

"Bulma!" It shouted.

Bulma peered down and caught the sight of a boy. He had short cropped black hair and an all too familiar garb of purple. She began to feel the itching of relief at seeing the young son of her close friend. There may still be a chance to get free with Gohan near by. Even though she knew he would be no match against someone as sinisterly powerful as Vegeta, it may still be enough to get them both out of there.

His eyes hardened, way beyond that of which any child his age should know how. In those few short seconds, Gohan's eyes changed from innocent five year olds, to a battle-hardened warrior. "Let go of her this instant Vegeta." His voice also became stronger then his years should have allowed.

She heard as well as felt Vegeta chuckle. "Well if it isn't the son of Kakarrot. I should have known _you'd _be here."

Ignoring his comment, Gohan pressed again. "Let her go Vegeta, I don't know what your planning, but you better release her this instant."

Vegeta tilted his head as if considering the idea, but the disgusting smirk he was still wearing already told her he didn't plan on changing his mind.

"Oh and why should I?" He asked amused.

It was Gohan's turn to growl. She saw his little form shift into some battle stance and clench his fists. In his eyes she saw a glimmer of anger begin to ignite.

"Because we are going to have some serious problems if you don't."

This only proved to heighten his amusement. "Do you really think you can stop me?" He asked.

"I won't let you do anything to my friend and neither will Kuririn." Gohan said sternly.

"On the contrary, you're little bald friend was more then willing to give her up once he could no longer fight back." Vegeta sneered.

Gohan gasped. "Liar!"

Vegeta once again chuckled darkly. "If you don't believe me, go check up on him, maybe he has regained consciousness already. You humans do have an annoying habit of not staying down."

Gohan shook his head back and forth, his little body shaking with rage. "I won't let you hurt my friends!" He yelled.

"Naive little brat." Vegeta growled. "This pathetic girl has something that can benefit me so I seized her for myself. Do you honestly believe that I would go to such trouble just to kill her now? If I so chose to, I could have killed them both, you should be thanking me. She willfully chose to come with me in order to save the life of your weakling bald friend."

Gohan seemed to gasp at that and his eyes shifted to the shivering Bulma latched to Vegeta's side. "Bulma…" He muttered under his breath, the look of sympathy in his dark eyes.

"I can't let you do this, Vegeta." Gohan's voice was hard like stone. His eyes locked with resolve and blaring resiliently at Vegeta. "She's an innocent, none of this concerns her. You're fight is with me."

"The other one said the same thing." Vegeta muttered. "So, how do you plan to stop me, son of Kakarrot?" He leered, the challenge sparkling in his eyes.

"Any way I can."

With that Gohan vanished and came at their right. If Bulma was at least a quarter of their strength she might have been able to keep up with the fight but she could only see the whirring of lights and colors. It wasn't a fair one, Bulma deduced. Even with one arm occupied holding her, Gohan seemed to get pummeled like a punching bag against Vegeta. Every move Gohan made, Vegeta predicted and countered.

Gohan came at Vegeta with fists angrily raised. He charged the brute and let loose his punch, only for Vegeta to grab it effortlessly in his gloved hand, smirking dangerously at the younger boy. A knee bashed into his small gut and Gohan fell from the sky and dropped like a rock to the ground, gasping for precious air.

"Gohan!" Bulma shrieked. Next to her, Vegeta laughed cruelly.

The little boy sat up; for someone so little he sure had a lot of resolve, and wiped the drop of blood on his chin. He charged again but his attack was faltered and he once again slammed into the dirt.

"You've seemed to have gotten a bit stronger boy," Vegeta remarked. "So you do have some Saiyan blood in you. But you still don't stand a chance against me." He began to lower to the ground until his feet touched down onto the Namekian grass. Bulma felt his arm around her tight like steel and knew without even trying it would be pointless to try and escape.

"I won't give up." Gohan said weakly. It was obvious he was exhausted, but his stubborn nature alone pulled him to his feet.

Vegeta shook his head sadly. "It's really too bad." He said. "You and I are the only real Saiyans left. We are like brothers."

A smashing punch to the jaw had Gohan airborne and crashing into a rock in less than three seconds.

"Come on spawn of Kakarrot, fight me with all you have, I want to tell your pitiable excuse of a Saiyan father how much you fought before I killed you."

Gohan seemed to roar to life and sprung from the rubble, his Ki blazing around him like wildfire as he leapt at Vegeta like a coiled spring.

"Yes that's it, fight like the Saiyan you are." Vegeta smirk widened as he blocked the rage filled punches of the young boy.

One upper cut landed squarely on Vegeta's jaw and shot his head back. There was a pause, and Bulma whimpered when the grip still hadn't lessened around her. Slowly Vegeta looked down at the huffing demi-Saiyan, a small trail of blood snaking from his lip. One of his gloved hands came up and wiped it off, the smirk never leaving his face.

"It took a blow worse then that for your father to make me bleed."

A shocked gasp left Gohan's throat at the sudden reminder of their first fight on Earth. His short hesitance was enough for Vegeta to land a punch across the cheek, careening him into another rock.

"With potential like yours you could become a fearsome warrior." Vegeta said as Gohan rose from the rubble.

"I don't want to be a warrior." Gohan said defiantly. "I want to be an orthopedist."

Vegeta snorted. "Waste of such power…" He muttered.

"But enough of that." He dismissed. "It is time we got serious. I know the only reason you're holding back is because I'm holding such precious cargo, but since I know there is no chance of her escape, I will release her if you grant me a fight with your honor you will not flee with the girl."

Gohan looked from Vegeta to Bulma then back to Vegeta. His little jaw locked and he nodded solemnly. An evil smirk curled on Vegeta's lips.

"Excellent."

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A/N: Well that's chapter 3. I will try to update fairly quickly, but to tell you the truth, I only posted this story because my brother said it was good and that I should put it up here ;P to tell you the truth, this is my first attempt at ANYTHING romantic and I am kind of nervous so your reviews help alot. Also, I could use a beta if anyone is interested. Ideas are MORE then welcome from anybody also. Thanks!

Also, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews: **ScarletWitch88, Naru Uzumaki, Madhatter45, and Evilace **as well as everyone else who reviewed anonymously. You don't know how much it helps!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As soon as Bulma felt his arm loosen around her, Bulma yanked herself free from Vegeta's grasp. She collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees and quickly crawled her way over to Gohan to hide behind his young form.

"Are you okay?" He asked innocently, for that brief second, his face had changed back to a young child's, absent of the stern set of his features that made him look much older then his years.

"Y-yes I'm okay." Bulma bit out nervously. Her body still shook but that cool wave of relief washed over her to have finally gotten out of the Saiyan's clutches. She breathed in a deep sigh and exhaled slowly, trying to control the wild beating of her heart.

"Well now, isn't this a touching moment." In front of them, Vegeta stood crossing his arms, frown in place.

Gohan turned to stare angrily at him, his face once again changing into that of a seasoned warrior. His eyes were strong and unflinching as they matched the equally black depth of Vegeta's. She could see the muscles of his jaw clench as he grated his teeth together, and his young stance stood proud and protectively in front of her. At that moment he looked just like his father. Son-kun was always headstrong and brave. Never had the act of cowardice ever invaded his path to helping the people of Earth. Even when he knew the battle was in his opponent's favor he never turned his back on what he knew was right.

Bulma could feel warmth enter her heart. How proud would Son-kun be if he could see his son now? Facing off bravely against an enemy whose power was unparallel to his own? Just to protect his dear friends? Even though Gohan as standing bravely in front of her, she could still see the underlying fear in the shadows of his eyes. His tiny growing body was shaking only slightly, the soft plump baby fat of his hands and cheeks clenched to try and hide his own terror. The boy knew he was no match for the wickedly powerful Saiyan before him, and yet he refused to back down.

That's what true bravery was about. A true man can only acquire bravery when something challenges their power to live, putting themselves in a situation where the odds are against them, when they have almost absolutely no chance of victory, just to protect the ones they care for, to risk your own life for the safety of others. That was true bravery, and for the first time in her life, Bulma recognized and respected all her friends for it.

"Vegeta…" Gohan growled the name out as if it were a curse. He bared his teeth and crouched into a fighting stance.

Vegeta only smirked. Not a second later, both bodies vanished. Bulma's heart jumped into her throat when they both disappeared right in front of her. Looking around her she failed to see where they had disappeared to, but the sudden sound of skin smacking skin caused her to raise her head and stare into the sky.

Her mouth hung open and her eyes went wide as she saw, in only a color-schemed blur, the two warriors face off. Her eyes could barely follow the blobs of color as they jostled left and right. She cursed herself suddenly feeling beyond weak in the whole situation. How did she ever plan on escaping Vegeta when she could barely keep up with his speed in a simple fight?

The colors slowed and a purple figure began to fall from the sky, crashing right next to her. Bulma screamed as she was tossed in the air from the strong impact and quickly scuttled behind a nearby rock for safety. Gohan appeared out of the rubble, growled angrily, then shot back up into the air.

"Is that all you got kid?" Vegeta pushed. "I thought you have gotten better then that. Or maybe being a loser runs in the family."

Gohan frowned. "My father is not a loser Vegeta." He said proudly. "My dad is a great man, better than you could ever be!"

"As much as that pains me, I have heard that tiring speech before and grow weary of it." Vegeta scowled. "I will defeat Kakarrot, then we shall see who's great!"

A burst of energy surrounded his compact form and he torpedoed himself straight at Gohan. Both of his fists landed painfully into Gohan's chest and he was sent back into the dirt.

"You're father is a no class fool who has no sense of Saiyan pride. He is a disgrace to his lineage and a sentimental imbecile who places his trust in his friends thinking it will give him strength." He sneered disgustedly. "That is why he is so pathetic."

"My father is not pathetic!" Gohan yelled, his white aura exploding around him. He jumped out of the ditch and launched himself at Vegeta, fist raised and eyes locked furiously.

Just when he was about to land his powerful blow across the smirking face of the fiendish Saiyan, he fazed out. Momentarily stunned, Gohan let his guard down and was met with a breaking fist to his ribs.

Gohan's breath was ripped from his lungs and his system refused to suck in air. He collapsed to his knees holding his chest, blood suddenly rushing up his throat and out his mouth.

"You have adequate power but such blatant mediocrity in your performance leaves you far from a commendable opponent."

Gohan couldn't speak or even sit up. He hunched over trying to fill his lungs with air and calm his burning chest from pain from the many broken ribs. Gohan could hear the sound of feet padding across the ground then the distinct sound of a woman's scream. His eyes widened and he looked to his left to see Vegeta throwing Bulma carelessly over his shoulder.

"N-no…" Gohan stuttered, his eyes growing heavy as once again blood leaked from his lips and spattered the ground below.

"We had a deal." He heard Vegeta say over the sounds of Bulma's shrill cries of outrage and fruitless attempts at resistance.

Gohan cringed, unable to get up from the pain. Instead he clenched his fists and shut his eyes painfully tight. He didn't know what felt worse, the burning of his ribs or the sound of Bulma's cries for help. He had failed.

"And what do we have here? You've seemed to save me the trouble of finding the Dragonball. I take it that's what this odd shaped ball is." Gohan's body froze as he saw Vegeta lean behind a rock and retrieve the large orange ball that he had hidden. He also didn't miss the revolting looking smirk that twisted on his features.

"I am taking what's mine. Go run along to your bald friend and relay this message: if either of you follow me in some foolish attempt to try and stop me, I won't hesitate in killing you."

As he lay there broken and unable to move, he could feel the distinct sensation of someone's power rising and the sound of Vegeta blasting off into the sky, taking the Dragonball and Bulma along with him.

* * *

A/N: Okay I know, not a very eventful chapter but I didn't have much time to write it. It is the holiday season so things are hectic over here and I won't be able to put anything up until after the holiday season. I still managed to post a chapter for all my stories, that's my gift to you.

I'd like to thank everyone you reviewed: **marciaah1223, Lady-night-shade04, earlschibiangel, evilace, v-mangrl, and Naru Uzumaki**. You all are wonderful!

Everyone else that's reading this, don't forget to review yourself and I am still looking for a beta or story ideas if anyone is interested. Thanks again.

Happy Chanukah!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bulma screeched and bawled against Vegeta's back as he flew across the sky. Her legs kicked furiously and her fists beat vainly against his strong armor-plated back. The fact that this was the same creature she feared to death moments ago hadn't crossed her mind. It felt as if a dam broke and all her pent up frustration and anger suddenly exploded in one gigantic eruption.

"You monster!" She screamed, hot tears flooding down her face like liquid fire. "You bastard!" Her body raked another sob as she beat her enemy against the back with all her strength, which, not surprisingly, had next to no effect on her capturer.

"Will you quiet down?" Vegeta growled over his shoulder. Even against her wild movements he hardly showed any effort to restrain her. "I left the boy alive didn't I?"

Bulma sniffed but her frantic bawling quieted down. Her struggling slowed and soon came to an all together stop. It was true, though he was beaten and bloody, Vegeta had left Gohan alive, if only to convey a message. Her tears were in reality, totally pointless. Throwing a fit and sniveling like a child was not nor ever the answer.

Bulma sniffled again, took a gulp and quieted down, then finally realized exactly who she was yelling at. She could hear Vegeta grumble something before slowly losing velocity. Bulma's clouded mind wasn't aware that they were approaching the ground until she felt the solid impact of their landing.

"What are we doing?" Bulma looked around as she was once again carelessly shrugged off his shoulder.

"If you must know we are taking a rest. All that incessant bawling of yours has upset my ears." He grumbled over his shoulder.

Bulma watched from her position on the ground as Vegeta took the Dragonball and placed it in-between some large jutting rocks, using them to successfully conceal it. To anyone flying over they couldn't make out the faint ball's bright surface even in the brightest hours of the day.

With the ball securely hidden, Vegeta turned on his heels and stared hard at Bulma.

"After we find the Dragonballs we shall bring them back here. You're going to help me find the remaining without anymore fuss. Understand?"

Bulma could only nod.

"Good." He nodded his head and headed toward her again. He paused in front of her. "Where is the next closest Dragonball?"

Bulma looked down at her dragon radar. "Th-there is a cluster of three of them about-"

"Freeza…" Vegeta growled viscously, causing Bulma to look up in alarm.

Something about the way he uttered the word, as if it were the vilest name in history, jolted her with a sudden eerie dread. His fists were clenching and his eyes narrowed hatefully at some unknown object. His teeth were gnashing together and that horrible growl left his lips.

Freeza… Where had she heard that name before? Bulma's eyes lit up. Wasn't he that man that Kuririn and Gohan mentioned about? The one that they said had an energy level that dwarfed Vegeta's? Bulma chanced a glance at Vegeta, her eyes bewildered at the sight of his obvious rage. An energy began to sparkle and zap around his clenched fists. His face contorted into one filled with rage and, even though she couldn't sense energy like the other Z fighters, she could almost _feel _the power he was emanating in the very air she was breathing. His muscles tensed and bulged under the alien spandex, and his whole body seemed to shake with power and dread.

How could there be someone stronger then that? Son-kun had hardly managed to defeat him and even then, the man kept bouncing back. How could there be a being out there that could make Vegeta edgy? But she knew, if this creature could make Vegeta uneasy, then he was definitely one-hundred times worse then Vegeta himself.

"Are- are you sure that it's him?" Bulma asked, half wishing that he was wrong. "Maybe you're mistak-"

"I know it's him!" Vegeta bellowed. The energies around him crackled. He turned his rage-filled eyes on her. Bulma shirked back at his outburst and mentally scolding her self for being brave enough to speak to him.

"That bastard…" He clenched his fists again and glared at the ground, his eyes losing focus as if he were reliving some old agonizing memory across his mind.

It was hard for Bulma's mind to comprehend; wasn't Vegeta working for Freeza? Kuririn said that Vegeta's armor matched that of Freeza's men, so didn't that logically mean he was working for him as well? It didn't make sense then, why would he be cursing his leader and illustrating such intense hate for him? As a matter of fact, that blue guy Vegeta killed mentioned something about Vegeta betraying their lord. Did that mean Vegeta betrayed Freeza and rebelled against him? Is that why he wanted the Dragonballs?

Things didn't add up, and Bulma had no intention of clarifying things with the Saiyan who looked about ready to kill anything that breathed the wrong way. She had every intention of staying alive through this. She didn't know how she was going to do it, she didn't know how long it would take, or what motives she would have to pull, but she was going to survive through this just like she had through everything else.

Carefully Bulma stood up, placing a careful hand over her bulging stomach. "The next closest Dragonball is north west from here. With your speed, we should get there in about fifteen minutes."

Bulma mentally patted herself on the back for not once stuttering through a sentence. She saw the Saiyan look at her again, his face once again changing into that blank look of cold indifference, before he nodded curtly and advanced towards her.

This time, Bulma took a step back and dared to hold up her hand to halt him. "I know you have to carry me, but can you not fling me over your back like a sack of potatoes this time? It makes me nauseous."

Vegeta snorted, but said nothing more as he approached and, thankfully, grabbed her to his side before blasting off. She was thankful for the armor he wore, as she felt her stomach smoosh against his own. If he was wearing any other type of clothing, he would have felt the unnatural hardness of her stomach against his body, and would know instantly that it was too solid to be a child. The dense material of his armor absorbed the impact the thick Dragonball would make and thankfully, kept her pregnancy an illusion.

They had landed not far off, on what looked like a barren island. Unlike the various masses of land she had experienced so far on the planet, none of them were as dry and fruitless as this one. Bulma took a few staggering steps onto the cracked earth. The land looked dead, spider web cracks framed ground, bold jutting rocks of monstrous proportions stared meanly around her, and to edge on her discomfort, a large eroded stairway sat bleakly in the middle of the island, leading down into the infinite corridors of darkness.

Bulma gulped down the tense dread she felt just being in such a place. It reminded her of an old horror movie, where the unlucky characters were about to walk head first into a creepy tomb that would ultimately lead to their inevitable deaths.

She took a hesitant step forward, staring at the stairs as if they lead to the gates of hell themselves. Shifting her gaze upward slightly, her blue eyes reflected the faces of the long podiums. An ugly sort of beast rested on each, their faces contorted into a grotesque form of a snarl. The nasty looking expressions on the beast's wore did little to settle her discomfort and Bulma faintly wondered why a supposed peaceful race would even consider creating such bloodcurdling manifestations.

"Move!"

The shout from behind by a certain Saiyan cause the already jittery woman to jump. She made a sound that resembled a pitiable apology, and quickly moved forward to the foreboding flight of stairs. Bulma approached the entrance warily, when her mind came to a sudden, though dreary conclusion;

Whatever was down the stairway couldn't be quite as daunting as the monster following behind each of her steps.

As her feet led her deeper and deeper into the dark recesses of the stairway, Bulma couldn't help but think how much this reminded her of a cheesy episode of the old series Tales from the Crypt. She could almost hear the thumping of the dreary sounding music that haunted each step she made through the dark staircase that lead to his torture chamber, and in her memory, her body tensed in waiting to hear the old Crypt keeper's shrill cackle that always sent shivers down her spine.

Bulma knew it was a stupid comparison, and all too suddenly she couldn't control the notion that slipped into her mind, that no victim from that show ever really came up alive in such circumstances –or at least, still partially sane.

However, having her mind on an old horror series that died in the nineties did help her forget about the daunting figure looming behind her like death itself. And it took no time for Bulma to deduce, that she would gladly take on the Crypt keeper's chilling company over the Saiyan's any day.

In reality, there was no harsh blood chilling music following her footsteps as she believed. All there was the tapping of their feet as they ascended deeper and deeper into what she appropriately dubbed the 'Crypt', and the faint echo of dripping water overhead. The vast looking stalactites caused her to be uneasy, so Bulma refused to look upwards, as if in fear that glancing at them too much would invoke their wrath and they would spear her.

As they ascended deeper, Bulma had no choice to pull out her flashlight, the darkness soon becoming so thick she could not make out her own hand in front of her face. This as you can guess, made it even harder for her to descend. The corroded stairway was cracked and uneven; leaving many gaps she could trip on and plummet the rest of the way down the flight. Then it happened, one small step onto a weak spot, and the step gave way. It crumbled under her foot, sending the rocks and debris clanking down the steps loudly. In her alarm Bulma tried to steady herself from tumbling over, but the noise alerted something else in Crypt and thousands of loud screechings filled the stairway. Her thought process kindly compared the screeching to the old Crypt Keeper's chilling laughter, and Bulma shrieked out in panic, lost her footing and stumbled down the stairway.

She howled as she made solid contact with the ground, thankful somewhat that the end of the stairway was not as far as she first thought. Gingerly the woman tried sitting up, noticing at least that her flashlight did not break. She winced when she felt her shoulder sting and burn.

"Pathetic." Came the harsh deep voice.

Bulma looked up startled, and was met with the face of Vegeta as he finished descending the stairway. His face looked so dark and sinister against the flashlights pale brightness. The light reflected off his face, and shadowed under his eyes and cheekbones, making him look very threatening and frightening.

The injured woman could not find her voice at all. Instead, she stared up into the menacing features of the short Saiyan before her. He stopped just close to on top of her, and stared down at her with his arms crossed. The darkness played tricks with her eyes and Bulma could have sworn she saw two black wings protruding from his back, and she imagined at that moment, that's exactly what the angel of death would have looked like had he come for her.

"Get. Up." They were spoken through clenched teeth and smoldering onyx eyes that seemed to sear into her very deepest places in her soul.

Bulma tried to stand, used the damp wall for support, inwardly cringing as her fingers slid across the wet surface. As soon as she put weight on her foot however, the woman gasped loudly. She had no time to grovel in her pain however, before a very irate Saiyan was pushing down her throat.

"Hurry and read out the locations for the Dragonball, girl." He demanded. "I don't want to waist another second down in this stinking rat hole than I have to."

'_You're not alone.' _Bulma thought to herself, taking one look around. She didn't want to be down here anymore then he did.

Bulma reached down and picked up her flashlight, one she was now eternally grateful she put into a capsule. Taking out the Radar, its creator pressed the tab, causing its green face to light up and paint everything in its radius a shining pale green.

"This way." Bulma's voice was small and quiet, as she slowly lead on forward into the accursed Crypt. To her surprise the Saiyan grunted and took the lead, and Bulma would have been lying if she said she wasn't relieved somewhat by it. She followed close behind as they approached passage ways and directed him in the proper direction, getting only a simple grunt as his single reply.

She was shocked that the Saiyan didn't seem to need her flashlight as guidance, seeing as he had almost bitten her head off when she offered him hers. How good was Saiyan's eyesight anyway? Even with the flashlight, Bulma had already stubbed her toe twice and he had yet to even falter a step, as if the room were as brightly lit as a house on Christmas Eve. Bulma sighed as she trudged on, trying to ignore her intimidating surroundings and the surly Saiyan in front of her. Pretty soon she had completely zoned out her surroundings, having envisioned herself soaking in a hot Jacuzzi, the feel of the water jets slowly relaxing away her stiff muscles. She was so far gone in her daydream; she couldn't even hear the Saiyan's foot steps ahead of her.

She never understood why the Namekians would have hidden the Dragonball in such a desolate place. When word spread around that there were evil forces trying to use the mystical powers of the Dragonballs, the Namekians devised a plan to hide the balls in hopes that they would never be found. At least, that's what Kuririn said their elder told him. In fact, now that she thought about it, hiding the Dragonball in such a place was actually quite ingenious. For sure, no one would have ever thought of stepping foot down into a decaying Crypt looking for a Dragonball.

For a moment Bulma wondered if this place was actually a Crypt after all. As much of the planet as she had seen –which was surprisingly small –she hadn't seen any cemeteries or mortuaries at all. Could it have been possible that they did in fact, bury people in creepy looking Tombs and Crypts like this one, and that she was in fact, surrounded by a bunch of dead, rotting corpses? A cold chill dripped down her spine at the thought and Bulma quickly shook herself of the terrifying thoughts. Instead she focused her attention to guiding the one force she knew was stronger then any dreadful dead body.

Only to realize he was no where in sight.

Bulma swallowed her pathetic yelp and ironically became aware how drafty and quiet the Crypt was… and how completely alone she was in the middle of it. The woman began to panic, fear racing into her heart causing it to begin to pick speed. She must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and was now left completely alone and vulnerable. She tried to calm her nerves, her genius mind working over her fear slightly and forced her to look around to see anything familiar she could backtrack to. No such luck.

She found herself only surrounded by darkness, the stench of stale air, and the sound of her own heart beating away at her rib cage.

Bulma back peddled until her back slammed against a hard surface. Her senses suddenly picking up every little detail of the grim place she was in. Paranoia took control of her mind, and each shift of wind, scratching echo, and faint fluttering caused her mind and heart to pound fiercely with terror. As if on cue, her flash light began to flicker, and her blue eyes widened. _'Oh, this is just so predictable.' _Her brain screamed as the last remaining shreds of light died.

She beat the flashlight with the palm of her hand, trying to bring It back to light, but all attempts failed. She was about to give up and cast the useless device as far from her as she could, when it suddenly relit and shined into her face. She winced slightly, until the light permitted her eyes to be aware of exactly what she was leaning against.

Slowly Bulma turned her face to the side, her flashlight still poised unmoving in her sweaty grip, and stared into the face of a decayed scull.

Her shriek in terror bounced off the walls and echoed in the dark corridors. Bulma leaped from the corpse and ran as fast as she could away from it, only to come face to face with the opposite wall, and as her flashlight dropped to the floor in horror, it revealed more skeletal corpses on the opposing wall. She collided with them and they rained down upon her, as if to feed off her flesh and regain some of their vital signs. She frantically struggled against the knots of boney arms and sculls as they webbed around her. She continued to screech and howl, panic gripping her body like the dead skeletons hanging around her.

Bulma cried out as the things refused to let go, she jumped around, shook and grasped wildly at the decayed corpses in a frantic panic to be rid of them and to get out of there. Every where she turned, she saw a ghastly pale scull staring dauntingly at her, or boney limbs, still decaying with flesh around her. Each time she moved, she only collided with more walls and having more dead bodied thrown on her like she was a tasty morsel. Shrieking and crying, Bulma clawed for escape, howled for help, and screamed in fright.

Bulma felt a strong grip grasp her upper arm and she let out a panicked screech. Her mind was so consumed in her terror; she didn't notice the owner of the hand bat off her skeletal companions like house flies and roughly pull her free. She landed with a thud onto the person's chest, sobbing away in both relief and fright. Her mind didn't process who could have rescued her, she only knew that she was out of the corpses' hands and that she now more then ever, wanted to get out of there.

"Are you mad?" Came the aggravated tone from none other then Vegeta. He roughly pulled her off his chest like she was some kind of disease and glared angrily at her. "What were you thinking running off you stupid girl?"

Bulma stiffened and growled defiantly. "Stupid?" She glared at him, her close encounter paralyzing her fear of the monster in front of her. "I just got attacked by The Crypt Keeper and his zombie henchmen and you think I'm stupid?!"

His face displayed annoyance. "What I know is that I heard you screeching like an idiot because some rotting bones fell on you. I don't know who this Crypt Keeper is, or what the fuck a 'zombie' is, but you can sure count on joining them if you ever try disappearing like that again, got it?!"

Bulma shirked back as the hand that still held her arm tightened painfully. She understood his threat perfectly and nodded her head.

"Did you find the Dragonball?" Bulma asked.

"Yes." She only then noticed the large orange ball underneath Vegeta's muscular arm. "No thanks to you."

"Then can we just leave now, please?" Her voice was still shaky, she hadn't gotten over what had just transpired minutes ago, and she didn't think she would for a long time. All Bulma knew, was right now she would do almost anything to get out as quickly as possible. Fortunately for her, Vegeta shared her distaste for the place.

He nodded he head and, refusing to let go her arm, dragged her back the way they came and towards the steps that would lead them out of that accursed place. The only thought that ran through Bulma's mind, as they took their first step above ground and walked into sunlight, was that she was _never _watching another episode of Tales from the Crypt ever again.

* * *

A/N: I have to apologize for taking so long to update. I have been having electric problems because of issues that I don't feel like getting into, and my computer was out of commition to close to a month. Luckily the electricity is back on and running smoothly and updates will be more frequant. To celebrate, I added this extra long chapter (it was originally broken into two seperate chapters, but I thought you guys diserved this after patiently waiting so long) I also want to give a special thanks to earlschibiangel for agreeing to be my beta. 

I want to shout out to my annon. reviewer Emily who has been continuosly supportive. Thank you doll!


	6. Chapter 6

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 6

They found the next ball in a small Namekian village, much to Bulma's surprise. She had first thought that the Namekians had hidden the balls outside their villages in order to prevent the fiendish from attaining their powers. As Bulma realized however, as she walked through the village, there was something terribly wrong.

Where should have been small huts and gardens, now lay only smoking ruins. Houses were steaming and destroyed, char markings around large holes she knew from experience was caused by chi blasts. The ground was leveled, crops burnt, and the most disturbing of all were the amount of bodies strewn mangled on the ground.

Bulma had to cover her mouth to keep the bile from rising. There was so many. Green figures in togas similar to what Piccolo adorn were scattered across the terrain. All had deep a violet liquid dripping from several wounds, blood dripping from cracked skulls and dismembered limbs. Their faces were frozen in expressions that read pain and suffering. No one was blessed with a quick death.

Bulma turned around, suddenly over-whelmed by the tremendous sight and smells that assaulted her. What she was seeing before her was barbaric and disturbing. This wasn't just murder, it was a holocaust. By her side she saw Vegeta step forward. Despite her, the Saiyan didn't seem at all bothered by the scene before them. He walked calmly through the village, stepping over cracked mortar and mutilated corpses casually, like he was used to such butchery, and Bulma had no doubt that was exactly the case.

Finally he seemed to stop and look around, as if suddenly aware of his surroundings. His carefully locked face surveyed left and right and viewed the village with a disgusted snarl. His eyes landed on her where they contrasted with her blue orbs. Then, his voice came as if he had heard her unasked question.

"Freeza." The word left his mouth with all the adoration as a wad of mucus would.

Bulma gasped at the name, and surveyed the dreadful area again. Her blue eyes suddenly grew wide as the meaning sunk in. All this pain, all this disaster, was caused by Freeza. Bulma was appalled. How could one being be so sick? Her eyes found a lowly body, it was small, that of a child. Its head was smashed in, its purple blood angrily spilling out and painting the ground.

"This…this is horrible!" Bulma voiced, forcefully removing her eyes from the little boy.

She heard the Saiyan sneer. "Compared to this, you must think I'm a fucking saint."

Bulma didn't say a word, for in fact, as much as she disliked him, he hadn't shone nearly the brutality to her as these innocents were dealt. Even when she witnessed the death of the blue man –Zarbon if she was correct –he hadn't been as brutalized as they had. Zarbon could fight back, while these poor people were defenseless against such adversity. Still, Vegeta didn't need to know how she felt.

"Is the Dragonball still here?" Bulma asked somewhat timidly.

"I don't know." Vegeta answered. "Why don't you check your locator device and see."

It was a demand, straight and simple and Bulma had no trouble following it. To her relief a little orange light began to sing on her radar, happily announcing its presence to her.

Bulma found herself smiling in relief. "Yeah, it's still here, about four meters in that direction."

Vegeta turned to where she pointed and began to walk to the waters edge, he peered over and spotted the orange ball through the clear waters. After he retrieved it, his face had that frightening smirk on it again.

"Freeza you fool, you couldn't find the Dragonball when it was right under your nose." He began to laugh, not a pleasant sound to Bulma. It was cruel and full of mockery.

He turned and faced Bulma, his smirk still in place, and looked at her differently then before.

"You have done well woman, locating the Dragonballs for me." He approached and Bulma stiffened, uncomfortable by the unfamiliar change in his tone. "I think compensation is due."

Bulma stared at him, wondering what exactly he meant. He stood directly in front of her now, his eyes locked intensely with her own. Did he plan to reward her efforts to locate the Dragonballs for him? Maybe he planned on releasing her. That thought made Bulma excited, and she couldn't help the small incline of anticipation well up inside her.

All too sudden Vegeta grabbed a fist full of her hair and roughly pushed his lips to hers. The kiss was brutal and almost painful. She could only muffle out her protests as his tongue forcefully pushed into her mouth. Then, just as quickly as it happened, he released her and she toppled over onto the ground.

Bulma wiped her mouth off with her sleeve and glared venomously at Vegeta who was licking his lips and looking thoroughly pleased. "How dare you!" She spat in anger as she stood up, never taking her furious azure eyes off him.

Vegeta only smirked triumphantly at her. "What did you expect? That I would release you of your duties?" Her eyes flashed and he knew that was exactly what she thought.

He chuckled scornfully and walked towards her, Bulma inching back as he advanced.

"Let go of me you pig!" Bulma screamed as he grabbed her and took off into the sky with the Dragonball safely under his other arm. As they soared through the sky, only the sounds of Bulma's infuriated cries and huffs filled the air.

Though the skies remained sunny, Bulma could instinctually tell that it was way passed sunset on her home planet. Her internal clock was counting down as heavily as her eyelids were soon drooping, and the woman had to more then a few occasions jar herself back into awareness; the good firm shakings and irritated shouts of the Saiyan carrying her helped to bring this into affect as well, apparently, he didn't appreciate being used as a pillow.

They landed suddenly, the effects of which nearly caused Bulma's stomach to rise into her throat. Glancing down at her radar, her brows furrowed when she noted they were nowhere near a Dragonball. Before she had even time to voice her confusion, a rough white gloved hand clasped around her mouth and a strong arm pulled her against his chest. He leaned against the closest towering mountain, her back held to his chest. Bulma's eyes shifted nervously to the Saiyan, and she doubted even if the hand holding her mouth was not present that she could even make a sound. His back was pressed against the rocks, his eyes, narrowed and focused, darted the corner and peered out at some unseen force.

Bulma heart began to thump wildly in her chest at his close attentive contact. She could feel the body holding her stiffen and tense, like a tight wounded coil about ready to spring.

"Keep silent." The words were spoken in no more then a harsh whisper and she knew with out asking that someone or something was nearby. His vigilance alarmed her more then his close proximity. Vegeta was trying to actually stay hidden, meaning the foe lurking close by was possibly more deadly then even Vegeta himself. That thought alone was enough to make Bulma nod quickly in compliance.

All at once Bulma could feel a rush of wind smack against her, as if a plane or a train just sped by. Instinctually Bulma looked up and caught the first few glimpses of a dot flying across the sky like a jet. The hand clamped around her mouth tightened as the coiled body of the Saiyan holding her tensed in anger.

Bulma took a brave glimpse at Vegeta's face and all at once she felt her throat constrict tightly. Vegeta's eyes were narrowed but oh, so enflamed. She could almost see the fire burning so intensely threatening to consume him. He must have had a lot of restrain to keep the fires from bursting free. His thin lips were drawn back in a snarl, giving her a glimpse of his perfectly white teeth. She watched as his jaw clenched, and a bead of sweat ran down the side of his forehead and down his cheek. Bulma began to feel suddenly light headed and woozy. His unnecessarily tight grip on her mouth was cutting off her oxygen, not to mention was getting down right painful. The arm constricted around her upper chest just above her swelling stomach (which she was somewhat thankful for, for had he grabbed any lower he would have noticed the hard density of her stomach).

If Vegeta was so worked up over some little dot in the sky (which she knew from growing up with her martial arts friends that dot was actually a person) he could only be the one he had referred to as Freeza. Bulma gulped down the tight ball of fear that rose in her throat as she remembered the devastation he caused at the Namekian village. When the dot was finally out of sight range, Bulma made a small moaning noise desperate to breathe in some precious air.

The reaction was almost instant, as soon as she familiarized her presence with her pathetic squeak, Vegeta released her immediately and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. By the time she calmed down and looked back at the Saiyan's face, he was still glaring at the sky, as if the little dot known as Freeza was still looming above the clouds and mocking him.

His facial expression for once didn't elude her. Where once she could only see a strong mask of cold-hearted detachment now showed hints of flaws. Between the growing cracks of his cold façade she could see the barest hints of deeper emotions seeping through. Anger was present, but not just the overbearing hatred that completed his ideal cold heartedness, but the kind that burned an image on one's soul, the kind that only forms when a great pain is inflicted. The kind of pain that manifests into the deepest places of your body and soul and slowly tears you apart from the inside out.

She could also see his fear. Fear was one of the last things she thought she would ever see in the great Vegeta's eyes. Escaping through the lapsing moment of his vulnerability she saw it in his eyes. Was he that afraid of Freeza? Bulma didn't know, but he didn't seem like the kind of man to fear something so easily. Maybe a fear of inner turmoil, Bulma's mind wracked. She always had a gift of reading people. Vegeta was a pride-filled warrior, one who never cowers in fear of a shadow of a being just because he is measurably weaker.

She could see it in his eyes, and she could all too quickly pick up on just a few hints of the inner workings of his mind. His mind was fighting off with itself, pride clashing with perseverance. She guessed he knew he wasn't strong enough to destroy this creature to whom he hated with such fervor, but his pride refused to let him believe such a thing. He knew he couldn't kill him, and the fear in that is what damaged his already bruised psyche and caused a whirl of conflict to his demented mind. Maybe, just maybe that was it.

She never expected to see any emotions on the cold blooded Saiyan's face besides bitterness and evil, but now –now, with one little flaw in his façade, she could see the flurry of emotions that no crazed, blood-lusting monster had. No, with the flicker of emotions, he almost looked–

'_Human.' _The small word ran echoes in her mind, but its meaning had a bigger impact on her then kick to the gut.

She may not have realized it, but at that moment, she no longer saw him as a monster. He was no monster, no mindless beast who only caused fear and destruction. She saw a man who had many flaws and unhealed scars. Monsters didn't have emotions. He had a heart that beat just like hers, he was made of flesh and blood, not some indestructible force, and most importantly, he felt emotions just like she did, even if he tried to cover them up. The fear of this man slowly began to dissolve the longer she contemplated these things, and the more she grew curious as to what hidden mysteries this man held.


	7. Chapter 7

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 7

"Please?"

"No."

"But, I'm hungry."

"Stop pestering me."

Bulma groaned. Another failed attempt to get the Saiyan to favor her with a break. She had not eaten in well over a day and a half now, and the painful clenching of her stomach was almost to a nauseous degree. Vegeta had refused to stop. It was as if he was refusing to relax until his mission was complete. She however, didn't have the luxury of an immeasurable amount of energy and found her supply running dangerously low. To further this point, a bellow of a growl rumbled from her stomach and she sighed.

"I have food and it will only take a few minutes I swear." Bulma licked her lips and decided to change tactics. "I have enough for both of us."

She heard Vegeta growl, a sound she was surprisingly growing used to, as he slowly began to decelerate. In Bulma's mind, she chirped in victory for convincing the Saiyan to take a break.

They landed and he quickly released her and took a seat opposite her, none too pleased looking. 

"Well," He said, the roughness in his voice hinting towards unabated irritation. "Where is this food you promised? I fail to see where you could have stored enough to sate my hunger."

Bulma was surprised by his impatient tone of voice. For a man who was complaining not long ago about stopping, he sure sounded eager at the sound of food. Bulma chuckled in her head, knowing it was a Saiyan thing. Goku would have invited Piccolo Daimyo over for tea if it meant getting a meal in his stomach. 

"Right here." 

Bulma reached into her back pocket, pulling out her small pack of capsules. Finding the correct one, she turned nervous eyes onto her Saiyan captor. 

"I warn you though, not to freak out when I activate it."

Vegeta snorted, sticking his nose into the air. "I assure you there is nothing that can possibly –"

_BOMB!_

"What is this witchery!" 

Bulma jumped at his tone. The smoke cleared away and a capsule fridge was suddenly accessible. 

The woman huffed. "It's not witchery," she said. "It's a capsule. They are storage devices. They are capable of carrying large objects with minimal capacity. This was a food capsule."

Surely he must have realized where she had gotten her flashlight from? Then again, Bulma thought with another huff, he probably wasn't paying that much attention to her.

She watched almost amusedly as the Saiyan leaned over and stared curiously at her capsule. She couldn't help the welt of pride suddenly swell up inside her at captivating the dangerous Saiyan's attention. 

"Remarkable." He examined, before shaking his head and sitting back, taking his former position and crossing his arms.

"Yes, they are." Bulma gloated, a sucker for stroking her own ego. "My father created these. I was in the developing project in the later models. I helped widen its aptitude to hold from six- tons to a whopping ninety-two tons, and expand its capability to shrink large matter such as ships and houses into these sizable little pellets. Cool huh?"

She heard only a grunt and her excitement deflated. She pouted mentally, wondering why he was suddenly uninterested in the science. Was her speech that boring?

"So… you must be real hungry huh? If you have an apatite anywhere near that of Goku's anyway."

At the mention of food, Vegeta's eyes immediately locked on her. Hastily she reached over and opened up the large chest. Taking a position across from him, she presented him with a small Styrofoam box. Placing it in front of him and one for her, she watched as his eyes stared at it peculiarly, then looked back at her, one of his dark brows rising.

He was probably waiting for her to try it first, thinking it was poisoned Bulma thought with a roll of her eyes. Demonstrating that the food was not poisoned, the woman opened up the container and took a small bite of the food, pointedly staring at Vegeta as she did so. Copying her ministrations after believing the food was safe, Vegeta hurriedly pulled the box to him and stared at the small meal that met his eyes. She watched amusedly as he brought it to his nose and sniffed it, then pull it away from his face his disgust.

"Hey, it's not the best but it is space food, it's meant to last, not for taste." Bulma quirked. He only grunted. 

Awkward silence stilled the air for the brief moment Bulma took to picking up her chopsticks and jabbing them down onto an unsuspecting mushroom. Just as she brought it to her lips however her eyes darted over to the Saiyan who had a confused expression on his face.

"How do I use these accursed things?" 

Bulma looked at him a betrayed a small smile as the Saiyan tried unsuccessfully to utilize the art of holding chopsticks. She reached over into a drawer on the fridge and pulled out a fork, gingerly handing it to him.

"Here, this might be easier for you." She offered.

He snatched it from her, offering no thank you's in return, not like she was expecting one anyway. To her relief he seemed to comprehend its use and began to scarf down his food like he hadn't eaten in days. It was an amazing feat to watch a Saiyan eat, Bulma realized. It was true, he ate with much the same vigor as Son-kun did, though she was pleased to see that at least Vegeta seemed to have better mannerisms in the way he chose to consume his food, meaning, he got more in his mouth then on his face.

Bulma tore her eyes away and stared down at her own meal, she picked at the mushroom skewered on her chopstick before bringing it to her lips and eating it. She choked it down, realizing just how awful space food really was but showed no outward sign of her distaste. She was happy just to have food. 

The soft thud of the empty tray hitting the ground stole her attention and she dared a glance at the Saiyan, who looked aggravated more then anything. She was willing to bet she knew why. Wasting no time, Bulma reached into her capsule fridge and pulled out another helping of the nasty food, handing it over to Vegeta who wasted no time in snatching it, opening it and inhaling the contents. 

Bulma forced down another mushroom, or what she guessed was a mushroom, it was too dry to tell. Feeling brave, she decided to test her luck with the testy brood with a conversation.

"So," Bulma cleared her throat. "If you don't mind me asking, but weren't you working for Freeza at one point? I noticed your armor is the same type as the one –"

"The armor was of the Saiyan's design. Freeza only copied it when he noticed their value in battle." Vegeta clipped, still refusing to look up from his meal.

"So that means you did work for Freeza. So then why are you…"

Vegeta's growl made her comment die in her throat. 

"You have no idea what kind of creature Freeza is." 

His eyes slowly rose to her face and Bulma had to choke down the ball that began to form in her throat from just his expression. Instead she decided to change the subject, a minute ago they were close to being civil (in her mind anyway), and the last thing she wanted to do was bring up a subject that could very much make Vegeta take his rage out on her.

"I'll take your word for it." She said awkwardly, taking another bite. She made a choking sound as she forced down her food. "This stuff really is disgusting, isn't it?"

"Your human provisions are among one of the vilest tasting things I have ever encountered." He snorted, thankfully returning to the aloof tone in his voice as his eyes drifted back to his meal.

"It's not all bad," Bulma shrugged. "Back at home we have some really tasty foods; chocolate has always been my favorite." She shook her head. "Though, I'm not the expert when it comes to food, Son-kun is really the one to ask, I'm sure he has tasted everything as much as he eats!"

"Son-kun?" 

"Goku. I think you and Raditz called him Kakarrot." 

Vegeta snorted. "How many names does that fool have?"

"When I met him it was only one." Bulma said whimsically. She didn't know why she was telling all these things to Vegeta, of all people, and she was sure her friends would never believe her if she told them she was having a conversation with him. 

"Ironically it all started with the hunt for the Dragonballs. I had hit him with my car and he attacked me back, thinking I was a monster. He was living in the wild, like some kind of jungle boy." She chuckled slightly. "I was actually the first girl he had ever seen before. 

Goku agreed to help me along my journey and that's how it all began, our big adventure. Though in the end, we never did wind up making any extravagant wish, because a depraved pig wished for underwear. Son was always a good man, he always cared about helping the Earth rather then himself. He was brave and incredibly strong, in fact now, I wonder why I was so blind to the possibility that he was from another planet. It would have explained the tail." 

"So then _he's_ the father?" 

His tone of voice grew slightly harsher, and Bulma was oddly surprised that he was listening to her. She half expected he was ignoring her. She blinked at him for a second, not understanding the meaning of his words until she saw his eyes narrow on her bulging stomach. 

"What? No …no! Never!" Bulma quickly denied. "Son-kun is like a brother to me, I could never do… do that with him!" Her face scrunched with disgust just thinking of it.

Oddly enough Vegeta seemed to look pleased with this, as he visually relaxed. Why would he care about if Son Goku was the father or not was beyond her, but she refrained from asking, not knowing what kind of response she would get from him.

"Besides, Son-kun has Gohan's mom. Even though I think he's a little afraid of her, I know he cares for her." 

"Afraid?" Vegeta looked disgusted by this. "Kakarrot is afraid of his own woman? He is even more disgraceful than I first thought."

"I don't know, I've seen Chi-Chi." Bulma countered. 

Vegeta only snorted, going back to finishing his fifth serving of food. 

"Bulma." She whispered sometime later. 

Vegeta's head shot up and stared at her, his heavy brows narrowing slightly. 

"That's my name." She revealed, pulling herself into a tight ball as if to lessen her insecurity and thinly veiled uncertainty. "Not girl, or woman."

He only grunted and returned to his food, ignoring her presence as if she was not there. That was fine by her, Bulma reasoned. It wasn't like he was the best company either.

There was a sudden halt in his movements. Bulma rose her head questioningly at the Saiyan. His gloved hands were stilled as his whole body seemed to stiffen, the fork paused inches from his lips. His eyes were wide, pupils contracted to small black dots. Then, there was a snap, as the utensil in his hand snapped into two, falling from his inactive grip to a mess on the ground.

"I-It can't be… He wouldn't…"

Bulma stared at Vegeta, trying to understand the broken ramblings he was uttering with such dread. 

"What? What's wrong?" She started to panic. 

"So that's why he was returning to his ship…" His body shook with rage as his voice once again changed into that horrifying rasp that could slice open her stomach with just a hiss of his tongue.

Did he mean Freeza? She wondered, her panic hitting overdrive. Did he mean when they saw him flying above them? Was that where he was going? His ship? Confusion set in and she stared pleadingly at Vegeta, willing him to give her an answer to her plea.

His fists clenched tightly as he slowly rose to his feet, head bowed to stare at his boots menacingly. His mouth moved slowly, uttering the words like they were laced with venom.

"The Ginyu Force."


	8. Chapter 8

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 8

Bulma stared at the Saiyan in confusion.

"The what?"

Vegeta growled, teeth and fists both clenched. His eyes continued to stare unfocused on the ground, refusing to meet her questioning gaze.

"The Ginyu Force." He repeated forcefully.

A wave of anxiety hit her as she took in Vegeta's reaction. She had only seen this kind of response when Freeza was mentioned. This however, was more of a dread then a fear.

"I don't understand."

"They are Freeza's personal army." Vegeta grit out. "They are his most powerful elite fighters in his entire Empire, only ever brought into battle when Freeza has a particularly hard time."

"Are you sure it's them?" Bulma asked. "Maybe it could just be something else…"

"No, it's them." Vegeta interrupted. "There are five of them. I can feel them getting closer, and there power levels are astounding." His fists clenched again.

"Damn you, Freeza…"

Bulma took a gulp and took a nervous step away from the Saiyan before her. Whoever these Ginyu people were, couldn't be that awful, right? Vegeta was one of the most powerful people she had ever met; for sure he could take on these creatures. Bulma might not have cared if Vegeta got himself killed, but right now he was the only means of defense she had.

There was a sharp sound coming from Vegeta and Bulma turned to see him staring up into the sky. Bulma followed his vision and gasped when she saw five spheres falling from the green skies like meteors. After a few seconds loud crashes were heard even from their area and the ground rumbled in outrage under her feet.

"We have to hurry now!" Vegeta bellowed running towards her, the Dragonball under his arm. "We have to find the remaining Dragonballs quickly!"

"But that's impossible!" Bulma squeaked in panic. "Doesn't Freeza have three of the Dragonballs? How are we going to get those with those Ginyu guys there!?"

She heard Vegeta growl loudly. He grabbed her anyway, and with a diminutive squeak from Bulma rocketed off the ground, a crater in the earth forming from the blastoff.

"Hey! Where are we going?" Bulma yelled.

"We have to get as far away from them as possible." Vegeta grit. "They can sense power ratings with their scouters and while I can hide mine, _you _cannot. However pitiable it is, they will pick it up since we are so close by and I don't feel like being caught because _you _can't mask your energy."

"It's not my fault!" Bulma glared at Vegeta. "If you didn't kidnap me in the first place, you wouldn't have this problem!"

"Shut up!" Vegeta roared.

Vegeta lurched to a stop so suddenly Bulma felt her stomach slam into her skull. Her eyes momentarily crossed as the nausea overcame her. An unpleasant groan fell off her lips. Shaking her head to relieve the queasiness, Bulma glared angrily up at her captor.

"Why the hell did you--!"

There was a deep-throated chuckle from in front of her. It was cracked and jagged, and rough like sandpaper. She cringed inwardly. That was _not _the same sound Vegeta made when he laughed manically…

"Well, what did we find here, boys?"

There was now a voice that matched the terribly crackling laugh. It was disgusting sounding, like there was a clot of phlegm permanently stuck in his throat as he spoke. How did someone get in front of them so fast? Dreading what she was about to do, Bulma lifted her head and stared at the painful sight her vision offered.

Purple, the thing that was talking was purple, Bulma noted. Her teeth ground together to keep from letting out the sickening sounds that fell on the tip of her tongue. It was hairless, two horns sticking out of his skull, which was much larger then any humans. There were veins straining against the skin of his skull, poking out in a disgusting web-like pattern.

There were people behind him. Tallying in her head she counted five in all. Bulma cringed. The Ginyu Force? They were all as sickening looking as the previous. The tallest one was blue, and reminded her of a salamander for whatever reason. Another was mostly humanoid, if it wasn't for his colossal size. He looked rather dopey; a peanut shaped head, and a Mohawk of messy orange. The other two were small, even compared to human standards. One was a shade of red, with long white hair and the other was…she wasn't sure. A four-eyed frog? She shook her head. For Freeza's personal army, they sure looked more fitting to be a circus attraction.

"Ginyu… what the hell are you doing here?" Vegeta growled, addressing the purple one, who must have been the leader.

"Well, Vegeta how nice of you to ask… Men!" The disgusting voice cackled. He turned his head and addressed his men with a nod. The all jumped into place, shocking Bulma even further when they all started striking ridiculous poses.

"Guldo!"

"Jiece!"

"Recoome!"

"Burter!"

"Ginyu!"

"And together we are…The Ginyu Force!"

…yes definitely the circus.

Vegeta seemed just as speechless as she did. There was a hint of annoyance in his gaze though, almost as if this was not the first time he had seen it, but found it no less irritating.

"Freeza called us personally. He was getting tired of threatening the Namek trash for the Dragonballs and chasing after you. And I see you must have known, since you already brought one of the Dragonballs to us!"

Vegeta only growled.

"But Ginyu, look!" Came the voice of the red one. How the hell did he have an Australian accent? Her thoughts broke when all eyes fell on her.

"So who's the dame Vegeta?" Came the snickering of the dopey one.

"Yeah, how did someone like you get with a sweet little filly like her? I don't think I had ever seen you with a girl before, Vegeta. All the boys always figured you swung the other way!" The group laughed at their leader's remark.

"Yeah!" Jeice said, as they all continued to laugh. "And look! He even got her pregnant! I knew he was up to something more when he went to Earth!" They screeched in laughter at Vegeta, who was eerily silent during the whole act.

Looking nervously to her side, Bulma gulped when she noticed the rather large bulging vein on Vegeta's forehead. His teeth were gnashing together and the arm holding her to him was beginning to get tighter and tighter. Bulma suppressed a small 'eep' when his eyes, painted red with fury, rose to stare murderously as his enemies.

Then it was gone. All the look of malice fled his face and was replaced with a look of mild amusement. Bulma had to blink to make sure she saw correctly, and had not imagined it at all. How did he do that?

"Well Ginyu, at least I can find a woman who would consent to baring my offspring." It was Vegeta's turn to smirk. "The only women you can get willingly are the ones that make ten credits an hour! Even then, I hear none of them are nearly as satisfied when they're through, not that I'm surprised. At least I'm pleasing to the eye."

Their laughter died and they glared hatefully at Vegeta. Ginyu growled and flew forward slightly, locking eyes with the smaller warrior in anger.

"Listen here, _Prince _Vegeta. You know you are absolutely no match for me and my men, so why don't you just give up the Dragonball," his eyes darted to Bulma and a purple tongue darted out to moisten his lips, "and the woman and we might let you live."

The arm around her tightened possessively. "No deal." He replied quickly. "The Dragonball and the girl belong to me. Why don't you just run back to Freeza like the lapdogs you all are."

"As I recall Vegeta," Ginyu growled. "_You _used to be one of those 'lapdogs'."

"Yes, that was until I realized how much Freeza was holding me back. My superior Saiyan strength was wasted serving Freeza, and soon I will rid the universe of his pitiable presence, along with all of you!"

Another loud round of guffaws echoed in the air. Ginyu and his men threw back their heads and bellowed loudly in laughter.

"You crack me up, Vegeta. But there's still no way you could ever match Master Freeza's power. You're nothing but a weak little monkey pest, that's exactly why Freeza wiped out your pitiable race from the universe."

Bulma gasped slightly, unsure if she should trust the words coming from the enemy. However, when she stared into the inflamed eyes of Vegeta, she knew undoubtedly he was speaking the truth. Freeza destroyed his planet just like Vegeta came to do to Earth.

"You can try to act as tough as you want, but the truth is, you were weak. That is why Freeza was able to destroy your planet, because you were too weak to stop him. And now, you are still too weak to avenge them. Don't you see it, Vegeta? You're nothing but a failure. A failure to your race, and a failure as a warrior."

Vegeta was absolutely livid. Bulma wanted nothing more then to run as far away from Vegeta as she possibly could. The look in his eyes dropped a notion of fear in her that she had never felt before. He looked frightening, even worse then when she had first seen him. She could almost see his eyes glowing red in rage. The words; Kill! Burn! Maim! Swirling in his mind and letting little else dissuade him.

The Dragonball slipped from his arm. Bulma watched frighteningly as it ascended onto the ground below, almost in a blur of slow-motion. His free hand clenched and before Bulma could even voice a word, lunged forward. Bulma left her lungs somewhere behind them as Vegeta rocketed forward, raising an angry fist and striking the purple alien right in the face.

The others around them looked surprised by the sheer amount of anger and power he possessed, even more when he came reeling back and landed another blow to the face of his opponent with the sickening sound of a fist hitting flesh.

Ginyu looked more then phased by the on-coming attack made by Vegeta, as he grabbed his abdomen painfully and stared at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Vegeta landed shortly after, dropping the hindrance in his arms that kept him from fighting at this true capacity.

Bulma grumbled as she was again shoved off of Vegeta carelessly. Surely, how could he treat a woman like that? Bulma bit back voicing her anger, knowing right now would be the worst possible time to yell at the maddened Saiyan. Instead, she crawled her way over to the Dragonball.

"I'm surprised, Vegeta." Came Ginyu's voice as he lowered from the sky. "You truly have gotten stronger then we last saw. You still can't take all five of us on." He said arrogantly.

Vegeta growled, shifting into a fighting stance she had seen time and time before.

"Hey Ginyu, let me have a shot at Vegeta." It was the dopey one, and he sounded just as dopey as he looked, as if is his tongue was too big in his own mouth.

Ginyu chuckled. "Alright then, knock yourself out."

Vegeta sniffed. "Fool."

They engaged in battle, and Bulma couldn't tell you who was winning, as her eyes could not follow their movements. Every now and then they would pause for a second when contact was made, and a grunt in pain was filtered into the air. She did not however, miss the torpedo of navy blue and white that rocketed into the ground near her and caused rocks and debris to come flying in her face. Shielding her face, she saw Vegeta pull himself out of the remains of a boulder. His armor was cracked and broken in some places, places on his alien suit were ripped and angry blood dripped from his skin.

His face was bleeding, one eye almost completely swollen shut. How could so much damage be done to him so quickly? They were only fighting for a few minutes. Looking up, she held in a surprised gasp to see his colossal opponent hardly branded a scratch. His uniform was torn in some places, but he hardly looked like he was even breaking a sweat.

She heard Vegeta growl and blast off again, fists raged and locked onto the giant man. She squinted her eyes, trying to follow the quick throwing punches and kicks, but could only make out blurs of colors and sounds. She finally gave up on it, promising herself that if she ever got home, she would learn how to keep up with this.

There was a flash of light and the woman looked skyward. Her blue eyes widened when they fell on Vegeta, his hands connected in a similar pose she had seen Son-kun and the others do before preparing the Kamehameha wave they were so fond of.

"Gyarriku Ho!"

A whirr of light gathered into his palms and shot forth in a burst of energy. It lead with a train of light behind it smack into the towering warrior, engulfing him completely. The brightness became too much for her eyes so she closed them, and turned her head away. When she felt the light fade, Bulma opened her eyes to see the monstrous damage caused. The ground was cratered like a train had burst through, leading up to the calamity of rocks that collapsed from a nearby mountain. The giant warrior was nowhere in sight. Bulma inwardly cheered in victory, both relieved and impressed by the massive display of power shown by Vegeta.

He was left gasping there, suspended in air, but looking thoroughly pleased. He shifted slightly as he landed on the ground, staring up into the faces of the remaining Ginyu Force in sheer arrogance.

"So much for him." Vegeta smirked. "It seems you're going to need a new member for your ridiculous cheerleading choreography."

Ginyu only answered with a knowing smirk, one that unnerved her. Both she and Vegeta both gasped when there was movement to their left. Rocks snapped at each other as they rolled off the body of the Ginyu force member as he pulled himself free. Bulma could feel dread wash over her as he stood there, looking unshaken in the least by Vegeta's mega-sized blast.

'_How could he have survived that?' _Bulma panicked, letting her eyes stare over his ugly form. He was standing in another stupid looking pose, even when his armor and hair were completely vaporized and steaming.

"Impossible!" Vegeta stammered, taking a step back in shock.

The tall one laughed and opened his mouth wide. For a moment she thought he was going to say something, until a light began to grow from down in his throat and shot out of his mouth. To her shock, she realized that the such a blast would vaporize her if he unleashed it so close by. Bulma squealed in fear, blocking her face as the blast grew closer. There was no way she could dodge the blast even if she tried.

Just as she thought she was going to be blown to pieces, she felt strong arms secure around her and a gust of wind as they took off. Opening her eyes, Bulma looked with a gasp at the face of the man that had rescued her. Vegeta was staring at Recoome with obvious hate, a growl rumbling in his throat. He was carrying her bridal style. Bulma felt an unknown feeling in the pit of her stomach, and a clenching in her throat. He saved her…

Her hand rose by itself and caressed his cheek. His eyes widened and immediately snapped to her. She could only smile and stare, unable to hide her enthrallment of staring into his bottomless eyes. His eyes studied her own with a mixture of shock and confusion, his mouth unable to even voice his obvious perplexity. Her innocent gesture no doubt left him bemused as well as her, but she couldn't deny the sudden spark she felt shoot through her at the simple contact. Where his cheek lay against her hand spread a warmth throughout her body she couldn't explain. And his questioning eyes, so black and consuming, sucked her in and swallowed her whole. She couldn't look away, as his smoldering gaze left her speechless, yet alit a fire in the pit of her stomach she was left wondering if she really wanted to be put out.

The tender little moment was shattered by the shrilling sound of a mocking laugh. The grip on her tightened as she saw a blast of light shoot at them. Vegeta only had time to turn his back to it to shield the package in his arms, unable to get away fast enough. The brunt of the blast made solid contact with his back. Bulma heard his garbled gasp and cry of pain as his armor was burned away and part of his back as well. He fell to the ground, his hold on her slipping and she plummeted with him. Fortunately the fall wasn't large and he hadn't fallen on top of her. She landed with an 'oof' but cringed when she saw Vegeta land on his stomach, his back sizzling, pieces of his armor melted against his burnt skin. He wasn't moving.

There was laughing overhead and Bulma took her terror stricken gaze onto the five members floating above them.

"Why I do think you killed him Recoome, or came pretty close to it." Ginyu laughed. Bulma had the sudden urge to scream at him.

Recoome laughed. "Yeah, I nailed him head on with that blast. Most would have been vaporized on the spot, stubborn monkey."

Recoome landed a few means short of Bulma, and she let out a shriek in terror, unconsciously crawling her way closer to the steaming body of Vegeta. He leaned down and picked up the discarded Dragonball and hefted it under one of his bulky arms. Then he stared at her, his mouth twisting into a grin of missing teeth.

"You sure are pretty, girly." He said. Bulma tried to stand to run away, but couldn't find the strength in her legs to do so. Instead, her hands shakily began to tap on Vegeta's shoulder, desperate to wake him so he could defend her. He stirred and moaned in pain, shifting slightly but made no move to get up. Bulma gulped and turned to the five men.

"Looks like he's still alive after all." The red one said.

Recoome shrugged. "Bah, he'll die eventually, probably will bleed to death." They all shared a laugh and began to rise in the air. Bulma sighed in relief as they seemingly forgot about her.

"Hey, what about the girl?"

Bulma's back went straight.

They all stared at her and Bulma closed her eyes, silently cursing her fate.

"Nah, just leave her. The monkey has already touched her and I don't want to catch any diseases."

With that said they all took off with their Dragonball into the sky. Bulma let out a relieved sigh and rubbed her bulging stomach. This was twice the ball had saved her life.


	9. Chapter 9

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 9

Bulma hesitated when she saw the small jets of light burst across the sky. She found herself still glued to her position on the ground even after the Ginyu Force had been long gone, half expecting that if she moved they would return. She held her breath for no apparent reason before finally giving in and heaving out in relief. She sat back on her hands and let out a startled squeak when they touched something warm. Turning her head she saw the still form of Vegeta chest down. Smoke was still billowing from his back emitting the rancid stench of melted flesh and whatever material was used to make his armor.

'_Is he dead?' _Her blue eyes stared, and one of her dainty fingers rose to poke at the body curiously. A groan came from deep within his chest at her offensive prodding and Bulma pulled her finger away hastily, slipping back a few inches in caution. He shifted slightly, groaned in pain once again, but then fell back into the still position he had before. Bulma let out another sigh in relief.

A triumphant smile curved its way onto her face and Bulma stood up, head held high. Ginyu had left, and it was safe to say Vegeta was out of commission which left her wide open for a getaway. Steering herself over to the corner, she let her smile broaden.

Bulma reached into her pocket, pulling out her handy capsules, trying to adjust the bulge under her shirt. _'But it doesn't have to be like that anymore.'_ The little voice in her head said. Grinning, Bulma pulled the ball from her shirt. It easily popped out. A large rip in the seam let it fall out with just a simple tap. Having selected her personal favorite product from her capsules, the airbike, Bulma shifted herself onto the padded seat, set the Dragonball in the basket attachment on the rear, and turned the key. A sigh left her lips as the engine purred like a spoiled kitten. Her foot pressed against the breaks just as she heard another painful gasp coming from Vegeta.

Her eyes flashed over to him, and she felt a pang of sympathy reach out at her and snatch her. Could she really leave him to die like this? Bulma rolled her eyes and revved the engine. Of course she could, he was a mad killer who had kidnapped her and treated her like a possession, and would have ultimately killed her in the end anyway after he got what he wanted.

Her smile faded when her memory recalled the time he had rescued her. He had…saved her life and then took a blow for her…and now she was going to let him die. Her blue eyes darkened slightly as she looked upon him, a well of guilt filtering through her conscious.

He was the enemy, she shouldn't even be concerning herself with him. Bulma reminded herself, yet it did little to appease the nagging sensation of guilt burning inside her. Bulma was always a kind person. She might get angry easily, scream at her friends and occasionally go on a murderous rampage with her AK – 27 on them, but she would never be as cruel as let someone die or suffer if she could have helped them.

Bulma closed her eyes, trying to erase the image of Vegeta helpless on the ground. Looking at him made her doubt herself, and Bulma Briefs never doubted herself. Her mind and her heart were at war. Common sense told her to leave his sorry carcass there for the buzzards to devour and get as far away as she possibly can, but her good nature told her she couldn't just leave him there to die.

That one moment when he had saved her, and she had touched his cheek, when their eyes met. That look in his eyes… She found herself once again drowning in his eyes at the memory. His face had softened in the slightest, and behind his confusion she found herself being swallowed alive by his consuming gaze. Bulma found her face turn hot and looked away. Why had he looked at her like that? What had that meant? Why _did _he save her?

Bulma sighed and turned off her engine. She could hear her mind roaring and throwing insults at her for doing the kind, yet stupid choice. Her heart offered her no comfort other then skipping a beat slightly when she approached Vegeta. She felt a form of betrayal from it, she was doing what it told her and all she got was her brain calling her an idiot.

'_I'm only doing this because you saved my life, you bastard.' _She squared herself and leaned over Vegeta. _'Just patch up his wounds, then leave. That's all.' _The man was knocked out cold. Cursing herself and her damn heart, Bulma hefted one of his large arms over her shoulders, trying to move him. He groaned and Bulma froze. She looked down to her now flat stomach, and then shifted nervous eyes towards the unconscious Saiyan. It would be all over for her if he saw her like this.

She grit her teeth and said a silent prayer, but he didn't lift an eye. She heaved, but found she could not lift him. _'Figures.' _She mumbled at her stupidity. The man was muscle-bound; he probably was close to two-hundred and thirty pounds. She began to pull away from him when she felt Vegeta shift. Her eyes widened in panic as the arm she placed over her shoulders pulled her against him.

Bulma forgot how to breathe when she felt the heat of his breath fan her neck. He was mumbling something unintelligible and slowly began to nuzzle into her neck. Her body felt like it had turned to jelly in his hold, her fear mixed with shock and confusion rendering her immobile and making her feel like a trapped mouse in the hands of a very hungry cat. The arm around her shoulders was strong, she knew even with out trying she could not break free. She tried still, squirming slightly to try and loosen his grip on her, but he only seemed to hold her tighter against him. He groaned once again, but it wasn't from pain. She felt him nuzzle her neck again before inhaling deeply, and her eyes grew wide as saucers when she felt something hard press against her thigh.

'_Okay, time to get the fuck out of here.' _Bulma's panicked mind finally kicked into gear and she began to struggle harder. Unconscious or not he was scaring the hell out of her. He mumbled something, growled when he felt her pull from him, and she stiffened slightly at the thought of him waking up and seeing what was going on. Bulma looked down at her slender stomach. She gulped; and seeing how "pregnant" she really was.

When he didn't move or mumble any more, Bulma tried her luck again to get his meaty arm off of her. Bending her knee, she dug it in the soil and pushed herself up. His body moved with hers, his arm, still locked tightly around her shoulders, pinning her face in the crook of his neck. Her back gave out from the burden of his weight and eventually they both tumbled to the ground again. This time Vegeta landed flat on his back and she landed with a thud against his chest plate, her lips slipped against his cheek. He gasped loudly from the sudden pain and his eyes opened.

Bulma's whole body stiffened as she watched the Saiyan's groggy eyes fight desperately to maintain consciousness. Her heart rose into her throat in panic when she noticed their compromising position. _'The Dragonball!_' Her mind screamed, and she took a fleeting look down at her flat stomach. His teeth clenched together in pain as he rose his head. His eyes searched confusedly around him, before they landed groggily on her.

"Wo-woman…?" He croaked out.

She couldn't bring herself to respond, only stare at him in horror.

However, good fortune was with her that day, because once again, the pain seemed too much for even the great Vegeta to bear, and he collapsed back onto the ground, his arm hanging loosely on her shoulders. Bulma held her breath again, hoping to god that he wouldn't wake up again. Carefully she removed his arm from her and jumped off him like he was the black plague. She pushed her back against a nearby rock, her sapphire eyes wide and her heart beat still refusing to slow down.

That was entirely too close. Bulma's heart raced, unable to get her mind to focus properly on what had just transpired.

--

The five figures knelt upon the ground, heads obediently lowered to stare at their uniformed boots. The striking glare of sunlight bounced off the large sphere of orange that rested before them. The lone person sitting before the other members eyed the ball and the men all while one talon finger scratched a pasty chin. Crimson eyes studied the ball curiously, a hint of amusement flickering through their bloodied depth. The creature shifted his eyes back onto the five men, locking selectively on the leader.

"A girl, you said?" His voice hinted amusement.

The purple head of Ginyu rose and nodded. His black pupils followed how his master's eyes shifted back to the ball. Idly the red eyes moved back onto him and his men. He did not miss the hint of hilarity that tugged at the corners of his liege's lips and lit up his eyes.

"Yes, this is definitely interesting news indeed." The vile inkwell smirk finally appeared on his pale face. "And where do you suppose Vegeta had picked up this girl?"

"We believe that he obtained her from the Planet Earth, Master." Ginyu sung obediently.

"An earthling?" His clawed finger tapped his pinkish cheek. "Interesting indeed."

"That is not all Master. We also know she has conceived."

"Are you certain Ginyu?"

Ginyu nodded his head again. "Yes. Me and my men all witnessed it ourselves. Vegeta was extremely protective of her."

The dark lips pulled into a tighter smirk. "My, I do think things are finally starting to come out in my favor."

"Sire?"

A small cracked laugh. "Who would have thought, Vegeta finding himself a woman. I do believe this is a first." The laughter grew harsher. "And where is the girl now?"

A sudden wave of nervousness assaulted him. "Well…you see sire, we left her there once we…took care of Vegeta."

A frown bent on their master's face. "And you didn't think it would have been ideal to bring her to me?"

"Well sire, we didn't think she would have any value to us--you, and we took their Dragonball so, my lord, as to not inconvenience ourselves or you we…."

The master's head shook back and forth. "Yet again Ginyu your stupidity amazes me." The pale tail resting against the back of his chair twitched and began to swing slightly.

"That girl is obviously dear to Vegeta. An asset like that could be invaluable to us. Did you not think about that Captain Ginyu?" The chair moved closer to him and Ginyu started to feel sweat gathering at the corners of his temples.

"Forgive me Master Freeza." Ginyu stumbled over his words, hoping to appease his master before it cost him his life. "I wasn't thinking…"

"You never do." Freeza frowned sharply. "That girl must hold some purpose here. I doubt Vegeta would have brought her along if otherwise. He may be a monkey, but he's not completely brainless."

The hover chair backed up slightly, causing Ginyu to unconsciously let out the breath he was holding.

"I want you to bring her to me. She could prove to be an important tool as to how to deal with Vegeta. Make sure she is unharmed."

"Yes Lord Freeza, right away. We won't fail you." Ginyu stood up straight and saluted, his men followed his example.

"See that you don't Captain."


	10. Chapter 10

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 10

Sometime later, Bulma had managed to relocate both she and the wounded Saiyan into a less open space. She had found a small gorge, surrounded by high rocks that kept them well hidden. A stream lay to their side, one that ran straight through the canyon and miles down the line to join with the Namekian's emerald seas. It was a very nice place to hide away, Bulma decided, a far better scenery then a dank cave and the dead grasslands she was forced to dwell upon while waiting for Kuririn and Gohan. She was very happy to have found it, and even more impressed by herself for finding a way to drag her heavy baggage down here. Her eyes stared at Vegeta's still unconscious form.

The woman huffed and settled herself against one of the shielding rocks. Her eyes stared over her bulging stomach to the Saiyan resting chest down on the blanket she had spread for him. Begrudgingly, Bulma had put the Dragonball back in its previous position under her shirt, the close call she had with him before scared her enough for her to take such precautions. It felt uncomfortable, not that it hadn't before. However, now it was harder to maintain the illusion, seeing as the rip in her shirt made it loose and negated the tight elastic hold her shirt previously had on it.

Bulma sighed as she wiped off some sweat from Vegeta's brow with a towel she had dampened from the brook. She had already removed the melted armor and spandex top from his body and cleaned the infected area as best she could. She had bandaged and wrapped him, doing all she could to help heal the burns. Who knew how quickly his body would heal, he wasn't a human.

Gohan and Kuririn might have thought Bulma had done nothing on the way to planet Namek besides drink beer and sleep, but she had actually been very deep in research. Ever since Raditz had arrived and she had found out Goku was not a human, Bulma had done as much research as she could on Saiyan anatomy and physiology. She was surprised by the many similarities their two species held, yet it would have made sense seeing as it was possible to interbreed with them.

His chest rumbled as a deep grumbling escaped through his mouth. His lips moved to form words, but they were too slurred and deep for her to pick up what he was saying. His face was softer as he slumbered. His fiendish eyebrows were resting contently above his eyelids instead of inching downwards into long furrows of menace. His small mouth was partly open, not jagged and curled into that twisted vengeful frown. His features were well shaped but sharp and his skin was almost an amber bronze under the sun, like someone chiseled them out of the finest metal.

She found her eyes studying him curiously, only then noticing he was a relatively short man. She was sure that it had to do with the air surrounding him, screaming arrogance and danger that made him appear much greater then his appearance first implied. Bulma's brows furrowed slightly when she caught herself looking at him. She had never before noticed how handsome he was. He was always scowling, and his personality made him repulsive in her eyes. But yet when he slept, he looked younger, and not as hostile. Looking upon him now, Bulma would have never guessed he was a killer behind such a handsome face.

In fact, he was a little above just a regular strong-featured man she grew to know on Earth. While they were mostly just plastic smiles and icing-coated endearments, there was something about the way Vegeta held himself, his nature that put him in a league of his very own. His nature was wild and erratic; unfazed by the courtship she was often fancied with at home. He maintained this dark image of himself that she couldn't help but be drawn to, that small part of her teenage years still scratching at the surface of her mind and setting off the alarms of her hormones.

Yes, he was quite a different man, and that was the one thing she would agree upon. Vegeta piqued her curiosity. He was a man of instincts, primal and dangerous. A man of mystery. So unlike the fake men she was used to on earth that treated her like some kind of holy being just because she was beautiful and they could get to her wealth and power. She could read through their phony faces easily. But Vegeta…she bit her lip and traced an idle finger across his jaw. Vegeta was a man of many faces and secrets. She could never read him through his face. He always held that distant, numbing stare that bore nothing. The few glimpses awarded she grasped together desperately. Those small strands of emotion weaved together in her mind like a puzzle, slowly sewing each in its proper place until she completed the odd conundrum that was Vegeta's mind.

She couldn't help her mind's eye as it placed together the correct puzzle pieces. Since she was young she had loved to solve puzzles and reveal mysteries. But Vegeta was the hardest one she had ever encountered, and naturally, her mind would simply not give up the challenge. It did irk her, not being able to turn it off, almost as much about the fact of why he was so hard to figure out to begin with. Most men smiled lovingly at her, bore their souls at the bat of her eyelids, and laid out their emotions like an open book with a sway of her hips, maybe they would even do a trick if she showed a little thigh, Bulma thought sneeringly. But not Vegeta. No, Vegeta hardly seemed to notice she was a woman at all, and she didn't know whether to be insulted or impressed.

The scars that danced across the tanned flesh of his back were a giveaway to such endeavors as his dangerous and horrendous life-styles, possibly giving her the answer to her question if she thought of it hard enough. However, she was sure, by the nasty looks of some of them, not all of them were from battle. Some were too straight and precise, like they were done by a whip. Was it possible Vegeta was tortured?

Bulma shook her head, clearing her thoughts and shuffling them back in order like a drill sergeant blowing a whistle. It would do her no good pondering things about the enemy. He did not deserve her pity and she doubted he would even want it. Besides, she knew that the longer she contemplated such things, the harder it would be for her to simply leave the man where he was so vulnerable. Mentally she slapped herself repeatedly. Why did she even concern herself with muses of this man? Just because he saved her life not once…but twice… Did she think he may have held compassion? Maybe he felt emotions other then hate and revulsion for other living creatures?

It was a nice thought, and the idea of her being the one to cause this morph touched her heart. The image in her mind of her calming the raging beast of a Saiyan and saving Planet Earth appeared before she could catch herself, and she violently shook her head to banish the silly notion. A nice dream yes, but a feat she felt unobtainable.

Her thoughts stopped altogether when there was another grumble from Vegeta. She watched as the once peaceful look on his face plummeted into that darker appeal and his eyes slowly shifted open. Bulma stiffened slightly when his eyes met with hers. A tiny sting of heat shot through her when she stared into his blackened eyes and for a moment, she found herself wondering what they would look like if they stared at her with warmth instead of such bitter coldness.

At first Bulma didn't know what to say, she for sure didn't suspect him to have roused so quickly. He had enough sedatives pumped in him to knock out a horse. Then again, this was a Saiyan she was dealing with, and she cursed herself mentally for not realizing it.

"Where… am I?" He croaked out. His voice was cracked and rough, it fell off his lips in an ungraceful spill of confusion and panic. She watched him painfully shift onto his elbows. Why in gods name he felt he had to fight against such pain was beyond her.

"Where is Ginyu!?" He suddenly blurted. He tried to sit up too quickly and the strain became too much for his still healing back to handle, causing him to toppled back to the ground onto his stomach. "I'll kill him…that bastard…"

"Easy there, tough guy." Bulma said softly, moving her way closer to him. Bulma tried to help him up, only to be pushed rudely away when he settled himself. He rested his head heavily against a boulder, being careful not to let his exposed back make contact. His dark eyes focused on the opposite wall of rocks, his brows, lowering in thought and confusion.

"Why?" It was a simple question, and Bulma guessed it could have meant one of two things.

The scientist shrugged nonchalantly, "I could ask you the same question." Bulma reached into her pocket and retrieved a lighter and her favorite smokes.

Vegeta stared at her in confusion. With the third strike of the lighter, Bulma breathed in the toxic smoke. He was harmless now, Bulma knew. There wasn't any harm he could cause her in his injured state, so there was no reason to be so paranoid anymore. And she _really _needed a smoke.

"You saved my life back there. Twice. Why?" She finally questioned.

He looked at her, his black eyes contrasting her blue ones and he snorted. "You are of no use to me dead, woman. I still need the Dragonballs."

Bulma fought back a sputter. She should have known it was only for selfish reasons. She felt unbelievably stupid for not realizing it before. Did she honestly think he saved her for some ulterior motive?

"That's the _only _reason?" She stressed.

He snarled at her. "Why, were you expecting something more?" His face tightened as he sneered at her, that pompous smirk of his reappearing.

Bulma snorted and looked away, refusing to answer. She didn't feel like making a bigger fool of herself by voicing any more of her judgments if they were indeed false, and letting him mock her because of it.

"That doesn't answer my question though." He stated.

"Why I cured your wounds, or why I didn't run away?"

"Both."

"Hn," Bulma sighed and tapped the edge of her cigarette. A snake of ashes fell from it onto the grass below. She watched as it smoldered. "Just call it returning the favor. I hadn't expected for you to arise so early, but it seems that I once again misjudged the endurance of the Saiyan body."

She looked over at him. Vegeta looked like he was struggling to maintain consciousness. She could tell it was painful for him to move and that he was stressing right now to keep his eyes open. She thought she saw Vegeta stiffen slightly. His black eyes dropped to his arm where they saw the tube attached to his arm. He responded with a snarl. "What did you do to me?"

"Don't pull it out, not unless you want to feel the intensity of the pain you should be feeling. And trust me, you really don't." Bulma saw his hand grasp the tube. "Right now I've got you pumped with high doses of hydromorphone." She took another puff. "Which, let me tell you, is hard to give you when unconscious. What's attached to you is a simple IV bag."

Vegeta glared at her coldly, but left the wire still. "Why do I feel so weak? Is it because of this drug?"

Bulma once again smirked. "Why yes it is, Saiyan. Hydromorphone is an opioid analgesic medication. An extremely powerful pain killer if you will. I'm impressed by how much milligrams you sucked up and are still awake." She laughed slightly, "or at least not as baked as the day is long. I would have juiced you up with Morphine, but I didn't want to spoil you."

"Like I care, foolish girl," Vegeta sniffed and looked away.

Bulma frowned at him and glared. "You know, I really can't stand that. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I have to be a total idiot when it comes to science, Wonder Boy! All men seem to oversee my intelligence because of my beauty. I have majored in many sciences including aeronautics and bioengineering, top in my class even! I also did my fair share of medical training too, and being the vice-president of the most powerful cooperation on Planet Earth, I can get my hands on any type of drug on the pharmaceutical market, and then some."

"And yet after all of your 'training' in the medical field you still persist in inhale that toxic weed." His nose curled up as a jet of smoke wafted against his face. He glared pointedly at her. "Isn't that _bad _for your offspring?"

Bulma shrugged, taking another generous puff from her cigarette. After all, it wasn't like she really had a child to be careful about. "Why do you care?"

He snorted, "I don't. But the stench is horrendous. I have never smelt a more disgusting stick of weed before."

"It's not that bad once you get used to it." Bulma shrugged, enjoying the odd calmness in the air that settled over them. It felt as though they had built a temporary safe house between them, or an unspoken truce. It seemed that while he did not voice thanks, this silent, less aggressive behavior was Vegeta's own unique way of showing his gratitude, even if not intentionally. She in return favored him with a little less hostility. Her tension she had once felt while around him shriveled up and blew away along with insecurity that tasseled around her.

Bulma stubbed out the remaining stump of her cigarette. Taking in a small sigh she laid her head back, becoming brutally aware how close she was sitting next to Vegeta. She turned her head to the side and looked at him. It was her first time seeing his chest bare, seeing as she did most of the work while he was laying on his stomach. Like his back, he festooned battle scars of all shape and sizes. One large one streaked across his pectorals and another across his abs. Her eyes unconsciously traveled up and down his chest, and each time they were noticing the scars less and less. The sun was at just the right point in the sky where it bounced off light onto him, making his thick muscles glimmer under his perspiration.

Bulma found herself biting her lip as impure thoughts suddenly brushed the edges of her mind, compliments of the wild daring side of her teenage years she never got over. She was no virgin to the sights of men with large muscles, but there was something almost forbidden about Vegeta. She knew he was a dangerous man, but his scars seemed to only amplify the fact and make it all the more desirable. Her eyes stared hypnotized at the rhythmic falling and rising of his chest as he breathed. They followed the creases of muscles all the way to his thick corded neck, and up the tapering lines of his face until they came to his eyes.

Bulma felt her stomach drop when she noticed his midnight eyes glaring at her. She realized embarrassingly he had caught her staring. Her cheeks burned red and she quickly turned away, catching his mouth open to call out on her embarrassment. Instead of hearing his humiliating words, she heard the loud grumble of his stomach. Thankful for the diversion, Bulma stood up and went for her capsules.

"I take it that means your hungry, huh?"

He only grunted and watched her as she pulled out the familiar mini fridge and started pulling out large portions of food. It wasn't until an hour later that he finished, cleaning up about eighteen human-size servings of food (which emptied her fridge completely). He didn't talk at all while he ate, not that she expected him to, and Bulma had gone to picking through her matted oily hair and digging at the grime under her nails.

"How long will I be like this?" Vegeta finally asked.

Bulma took a while to come up with the answer. "About a few days, bu…"

"Days?!" He interrupted. "I don't have that much time! Freeza could have collected the Dragonballs by the…"

"If you would have let me _finish_," Bulma snapped at him, glaring angrily. "As I was trying to say, since you are Saiyan and you heal faster, you might be well enough by tomorrow, no later then forty-eight hours."

Vegeta went back to growling but said nothing.

"I don't know why you are so interested in getting back on your feet anyway," Bulma sighed, "If you're not well enough to fight Freeza, or the Ginyu Force, then there's no hope anyway."

"I need to get the Dragonballs. I need immortality in order to defeat Freeza." Vegeta's fists clenched.

Bulma stared at him in surprise, "That's why you want immortality? To defeat Freeza?"

Vegeta snorted, "Why else?"

"I thought you wanted to take over the universe or some other clichéd bad-guy thing," Bulma shrugged.

"Of course, but I won't need immortality to do that. Defeating Freeza is just the milestone I need before I can worry about such things."

"Then why not just wish to be stronger then Freeza?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta looked at her with a snarl. "I am Vegeta, Saiyan no Ouji. There is no honor in fighting someone with power you did not earn yourself."

"But there's honor in wishing for eternal life?" Bulma rose her brow. "Wouldn't that go against your "Saiyan honor code"? It sounds like cheating if you can't actually lose."

"What would you know of a warrior's code?" Vegeta growled and crossed his arms.

"More then you would think," Bulma smiled as she thought about her friends. "Besides, didn't you once say that fighting is in a Saiyan's blood? How else are you going to get that excitement from a battle if you already know the outcome? Sounds boring."

Vegeta looked at her in surprise, his eyes widened slightly and his mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He then smirked and closed his eyes, a rumble of a chuckle passed through his lips.

"I have underestimated your intelligence, female," He chuckled huskily. For some reason, that gruff laugh of his sent chills down her body.

"Perhaps," he said, "perhaps when this is all over, I shall let you live. I will need servants with your intellect in my empire."

"Now wait just a minute--" Bulma stopped herself mid-rant. Her mind replayed his words and a faint blush came across her disbelieved face. Had he just complimented her? He, though diminutively, called her intelligent. Bulma had gotten her fair share of compliments in her life, but she never suspected to get one from Vegeta. The simple matter that it came from him made it all the more powerful, and warmed up a small part of her insides she was involuntarily creating.

She stared at him mouth gaping for what felt like hours, trying to get over the magnitude if his seemingly inadvertent praise. She then smiled and sat back. She wouldn't address the matter, for she knew he would only snappishly take it back and deny the claim. Bulma sighed and glanced back over at Vegeta, and realized he had fallen asleep, probably because of the medication. Most likely dreaming away of killing evil tyrants and domination of the universe. The scary part was, to him, those were _good _dreams.

* * *

Reposted thanks to my reviewer Michelle. I KNEW I shoud have written Hydromorphone, I didn't think oxicontin was IV able, but someone suggested I use a drug someone actually knew about. But whatever. I changed it back to what I originally wrote, nothing else is new about this chapter. Big Thanks to Michelle for pointing this out and making me change it.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The sound of crude laughter and brushing winds met the Captain as he soared through the Namekian skies. His men, chortling at some trite joke one of them made followed close behind. After briefing with Master Freeza the Captain could not help but feel a wave of uncertainty. He had expected to be treated with praise at having brought his Liege a Dragonball and disabling Vegeta, however what he and his loyal men received was nothing short of humiliation and disappointment. Clenching his teeth Captain Ginyu forced back his discontent and focused his attention on the ground. His black eyes briskly scanned the environment below for signs of the familiar landscape they had left the wounded Saiyan and the girl.

He skid to a stop upon seeing the recognizable debris Recoome had made when he plowed Vegeta over like a steam truck. His men stopped short behind him, nearly colliding into him from the sudden halt. Ignoring their complaints, Ginyu lowered to the ground, his eyes already searching the area even though his brain already told him the creature was gone. He could feel his heart beat quicken as he continued to look, even though he knew it was fruitless. The girl was gone, and she had taken Vegeta with her.

"That stupid girl," His hissed out clenching his fists. "She's not here. She must have taken Vegeta and ran away."

His men took a quick look around soon coming to agree with their Captain that the girl was not present.

"What you do thing we should do now, Captain?" Jiece asked. Even without looking at him Ginyu could tell by his voice he was nervous. "Master Freeza will be awfully upset if we…"

"We'll find the dame." Ginyu interrupted stonily.

The Captain cursed under his breath as his scouter did not help. The female's power reading was very pitiable and undetectable from there range, and since Vegeta could apparently mask his energy signal they had no way of tracking him down either.

"Come on," Ginyu led, flying into the air. "We won't find her around here, let's move out men."

"Yes sir!" Came the well trained response from his men. Soon they all rose and followed Captain Ginyu as he flew across the sky.

Bulma stared blinking at the sky, her eyes still crusted with sleep. Tiredly she rose a hand and wiped away the sweat that gathered there and stared at her hand in wonderment. Groaning Bulma shifted slightly at the realization. There were three suns on Planet Namek that rotated in the sky in even intervals. There was no night, so as one sun gently lowered in the sky another in the opposite side of the sky began to rise. The double heat created by the suns made it unbelievably hot and Bulma took comfort in shedding herself of her black leggings, tossing them miserably away.

Bulma had fallen asleep at some point, and she was somewhat grateful since that meant she slept through some of the heat stroke. As she lifted her head, Bulma suddenly felt a wave of panic and quickly sat up, looking for Vegeta. She didn't have to look far. He was standing there, shirtless doing some sort of stretching.

Bulma watched as he began to bend and turn under the hot suns. Sweat glistened off his body and reflected in the heat. Each turn and bow of his skin pulled at his muscles and Bulma found herself staring in a stupor. What was he doing? She then noticed his back. It was mostly healed, still slightly red, but almost completely unnoticeable. He must have been stretching to relieve the tension from the injury.

He did one last stretch before he finally noticed her staring. He came to a stop and glared at her.

"So, you're finally awake."

His voice startled her out of her gazing and she felt annoyed with herself for not even noticing him stop.

"How…how long have you been up?" Bulma asked somewhat bewildered.

Vegeta shrugged. "A few hours." He went back to his exercising.

"You have been stretching for three hours straight?" Bulma found herself gawking at him in disbelief.

"Not entirely," He snuffed. "I had cooled off in the stream."

"Cooled off in the…" Bulma found herself turning slightly red as the words brought images into her mind.

She shook her head quickly and stood up, brushing off her skirt in the back as she did so, cringing when she felt it stick to her legs from sweat. She almost gasped out when she felt something shift under her shirt. Her hands quickly raced down to steady the Dragonball as it tried to escape under her shirt. The rip had gotten bigger, this was not good.

Sighing in her fortune, Bulma looked over at Vegeta, who didn't even notice what had almost just occurred. "Well, I'm glad that you're back in good health at least." Immediately after she said that Bulma put one hand over her mouth. _What did she just say?_ She couldn't have honestly meant she cared for his wellbeing. She never had before. Why would she say such a stupid thing?

Vegeta looked just as surprised as she did. He stopped and stared curiously at her before he smirked and chuckled.

"You really are a damn fool bitch."

Getting over the shock of her previous words, Bulma's eyes lit up in rage. "How dare you!" She crossed the distance in a few short strides.

"After everything I have done for you, you insult me? I healed your injuries; you should be on your knees in gratitude! You have no right to say such things to me, you inconsiderate bastard!"

The movement was ostentatious. Vegeta had his thick fingers around her throat and up against the cliff walls before she could blink. He lowered his eyes and glowered at her. Those fierce black eyes of his pierced through her body and made her shiver.

"Let me make one thing clear to you," He growled out, his nostrils flared in anger. "You hold no claim on me to demand anything. I control your life in my hands, and I could snap this little neck of yours without a second thought. Be careful what you say to me witch, I will not warn you again."

"No." Bulma grit. "I am tired of you treating me like I'm some sort of property of yours. I am not afraid of you anymore Vegeta. I don't care what kind of power you posses, I'm sick of being your doormat. You need me to find the Dragonballs. You cannot kill me. If you do, you lose. I'm too valuable to you, Vegeta, whether you like it or not, I'm the one controlling whether you get your wish or not. So if anyone should be careful, it's you."

Vegeta pulled back in shock. He stared at her in awe, his eyes wide. Instead of shirking back and fear like she had done before, Bulma glared defiantly into his eyes, and she took a small bit of pleasure in seeing his surprise in it. He expected her to submit to him like she had before. He was thrown completely off by this sudden growth of courage.

She could hear him begin to growl again, he clenched his fists tightly before turning to the rocks and smashing his fist into them, crumbling them into a grave of debris. Bulma flinched at the display, but did not falter her stubborn glare.

"You…you…witch…" He was seething. He turned to stare at her again, at any other time the look in his eyes would have terrified her, but she no longer felt threatened by him. He needed her. Once she realized that she was safe from him until she gets the Dragonballs, there was no need to be afraid. Right now she was immune to his murderous hands, and that gave her an unbelievable amount of power.

"You should fear me..." Vegeta's voice was deeper in anger. His furious eyes bore into her as he slowly approached again. His hands went back around her neck, squeezing in the slightest.

Bulma still held her ground and stared defiantly in his eyes, her blue eyes as unbending as glass. She could see the power struggle through his eyes. He wanted to prove he still had power over her. The gut-wrenching stare of his and lock on her throat was supposed to make her flinch and back down, letting him come out once again as the dominant. She could tell he did not like being controlled, he did not like being the one _without _the control. He wanted her to bend and break, to yield.

All too swiftly she found his nose nearly touching hers in the dangerous game. Bulma hardened her stare and breathed in as much as she could with his hand still holding her neck. It wasn't painful surprisingly. She realized it wasn't meant to choke, but to intimidate, to _frighten _her. Her eyes continued to stare, matching his determined glare as best she could. Neither of them flinched. They maintained this battle of possession for what seemed like hours to her. Bulma thinned her lips and tilted her head back in a stubborn act of arrogance.

Vegeta regarded the look coolly. His eyes widened only a fraction and his frown deepened. She curiously saw his nose twitch and flare again, taking in a deep breath…or was it taking in her scent? She could feel his breath against her, deep and shallow. Then he reared back and snarled. Thinking she was going to be stricken, Bulma closed her eyes and braced herself for the awaiting blow.

Instead she felt his lips smother hers again in another ferocious mind devouring kiss. Bulma's eyes immediately opened. Her body tensed completely as she felt his mouth move with the same viciousness they did the first time he stole a kiss from her. This time it felt different. His forcefulness made her insides tingle and ignite, like a set of explosions were going off one by one. Her hands left the hold on her stomach and moved to weave into the fire of his hair, her own mouth answering to the call of his own primal actions. She felt him bite her lips roughly and his tongue snake in her mouth, growling fiercely. It made Bulma feel like she was going to collapse in the sensation. He was so wild, so animalistic, so…god…she felt like she was drunk.

His hand hadn't even let go of her throat. Instead, he held her in place as he controlled the brutal kiss. Bulma didn't know why she felt such a fire from receiving his rough actions, but at the moment she didn't care. Her hands fisted tightly in the wild of his mane, tugging and scratching his scalp with her fingernails, which she was rewarded with another one of those growls. That growl…to think it once sent chills of fright down her back and now….now it…god, it _aroused_ her.

Frightened, Bulma seemed to jerk herself back into reality. Reality smacked her like a block of ice and she suddenly realized who she was so passionately kissing. Bulma stiffened and pushed roughly on his chest to get away. He let go of her and his eyes stared at her again. The look of disbelief and shock on his face mirrored her own. But before she could voice anything, his hand latched painfully on hers. Bulma gasped at the pain but could to nothing as he dragged her against his chest again, growling in anger.

Bulma closed her eyes and looked away, his jerk causing her body to shake. That was when she felt something sink and collapse. Bulma's face drained of color. Her head moved in slow motion as she stared down at her feet. The orange ball glared back guiltily at her. The pin prickles of terror paralyzed her mind and body of movement, as she slowly looked back up.

And was met with the murderous eyes of Vegeta.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bulma's mind had ceased all brain function, unable to bring even the basics of speech to pass her lips. Her heart thundered in her chest cavity, pounding blood through her like a machine on overdrive. Fleetingly her mouth opened, but all that escaped was her short breath. No words could overcome the unbelievable wave of terror that had sunk her into the deepest waters of fear. Her eyes stared transfixed on Vegeta, her joints freezing and locking in place, hindering her of movement.

It was the look he was giving her. The look that made her blood run cold and captivated her all at the same time. Bulma gulped, trying to swallow away the sudden tremors of queasiness. His eyes seemed to glow with his rage. They were giant, two pools of burning hot coals, red with fire scorching her on the spot. She couldn't look away. His appearance somehow grew fiercer. He suddenly looked much taller, more ferocious and deadly. The grip on her arm grew tighter, but Bulma didn't feel any pain, her fear acted as a drug to any physical ache.

It was only until she heard his growl that Bulma had snapped back to her senses. She flinched and looked around in a panic, as if she had been in a deep sleep and was only now aware of her surroundings. The breath left her lungs faster, quickened by her trepidation. Her lips moved but no sound came out, only her straggled gasps. He took a step closer to her and Bulma regained control of herself. She tugged at his grasp already knowing he wouldn't release her. He was too strong.

Vegeta growled again. Bulma looked up frighteningly to see his teeth visible through his snarl. She struggled harder, fighting with all her body's strength. Her muscles grew weary and tired quickly, but she kept struggling. She gasped and squealed in panic as she fraught, but was quickly quelled when his other hand locked both arms to her side, capturing her against the wall like a cornered mouse.

"Treacherous little bitch…" He growled out, his grip on her arms tightening and making her shriek out in pain. The tone in his voice was deeper, seeping with malice and underlined hatred. Her head thrashed from side to side, trying to ignore his words. One of her knees came up to strike him where all men were vulnerable, but the shift he made avoided her assault. In counter he lifted her slightly then slammed her body against the rocks with sheer force. Bulma screamed as she felt the jagged rocks contact her back, the sharp edges taking a bite into her tattered clothes and ripping her skin, drawing out her rich blood.

"Let me go!" Bulma thrashed wildly.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your worthless life right now, you devious little witch."

She screeched in outrage and turned her fury onto any part of his body she could harm, kicking and lashing back and forth in a heated frenzy. Her head sprung forward and her teeth latched on to his bottom lip where she bit down as hard as she could. She heard his howl and he wrenched her away, unprepared for her snake like strike. Vegeta growled low in his throat, swatting her across the face hard. Bulma landed painfully on the ground, crashing into the medical kit she had used to cure his wounds. The medical tape and supplies spilt angrily across the ground in a noisy symphony of clanking and crashing. Her cheek burned and she glared vengefully at Vegeta. His lip was leaking with his vital fluids, a steady flowing stream of cherry red. Bulma took some pleasure in being able to cause his pain and to actually make him bleed.

She watched as his hand came up to wipe away at the blood. His eyes shifted to his gloved hand with a mixture of surprise. Then he looked back at her and smirked. Bulma felt the beginnings of a shudder scratch at her, but held it in. It was that same demented smirk he gave to his opponents right before he ended their lives. Bulma's hand reached out and felt around. It fisted a syringe she found and held it behind her back, her eyes carefully studying his movements.

"Do you know what I will do to you because of your little charade?" Vegeta advanced on her, his movements as slow and as confident as a panther and his voice as gruff and deep as a bear's growl.

"Go to hell!" Bulma snarled. Her eyes flashed a defiant red, painting over the blue of her irises and burning with the intensity of an inferno.

Vegeta only smirked at her, he in fact had seemed to found some sort of amusement, "a little late to be brave don't you think? The Dragonballs are all found now. You have no more use to me."

His words held an icy truth that nailed Bulma hard in the gut like a staple. There was no more reason for him to keep her. Freeza owned four of the balls now and he still had two hidden in the rocks, which left this one the last one. She knew eventually that a confrontation of this sort would have had arisen, but Bulma had imagined that her own cunning and witty mind would have worked out a solution in time. A small part of her even thought over the possibility of him willingly releasing her. She felt unbelievably stupid now. Bulma slapped herself mentally for thinking that he could be anything but a monster. He obviously did not feel like his mercy or kindness was earned by her. He was just a heartless bastard, and she hated herself for trying to believe otherwise.

"Just do it," Bulma graveled out in a silent, bitter tone. Her eyes glazed over, hardened like stones, and turned to stare away seemingly in defeat.

"What was that?"

"I said just do it you fucking coward!"

He was on her before she had time to glare. She could feel Vegeta's fingers fit around her neck and choke her, his eyes glaring blindly with rage as she sank further into the ground.

"How dare you…" His fist tightened, "You don't know anything you weak little bitch."

Her eyes challenged his authority, narrowing into maddened slits, "I know that you are heartless to kill a woman who can't possibly defend herself against you."

"Your pathetic little words won't be enough to save your life," He flashed. Bulma's eyes widened slightly. Clenching her teeth Bulma continued to claw at his hand, even though she knew she could not get free unless he permitted it first.

"You die now," Vegeta stared down from on top of her. His fist tightened again as he slowly began to squeeze the life out of her, yet faltered. Bulma peered up into his face and witnessed with utmost surprise, the hesitant look in his eyes. His teeth clenched, yet his hand did not. He looked torn, like he was fighting a battle in his mind. She could see things floating in his steely eyes that she had never noticed before. The deep heated look in his face mirrored in her blue irises. He looked down at her in a fury of emotions, challenging his facade with the foreign expressions of regret and uncertainty. He was...hesitant on killing her, but why? Taking advantage of his weakened state Bulma opened her mouth and let escape ragged and choked words.

"Don't I get a good-bye kiss?"

Vegeta's expression changed and he stared down into her reddened face with eyes wide in surprise. His heavy brows narrowed and his head tilted to observe her with consideration. Bulma bit her lip nervously; working how she would just have to help him decide. Bulma's tongue peeked out from her mouth and attentively brushed it against her lips enticingly as she could. She had caught his attention, as immediately his eyes darted down to stare at her little mouth. They stayed there, his own tongue coming out to lick his lips in anticipation. He didn't move for the longest time, as if trying his hardest to come to a decision. Then, he growled again and his mouth descended on hers once more. The same brutal kiss as before, hard and meant to possess.

Bulma sighed as the grip on her neck effectively loosened. Her hand that had previously clawed at freedom now rose into his hair. Even though she knew he was an unpredictable madman, as well as her enemy, she felt compelled to feel his warm lips on hers. It sparked something inside her she never felt before, leaving her feeling both naughty and sinful. Her rebellious side relished every minute of it. Kisses with Yamcha were always sweet and innocent, but Bulma secretly yearned for the rawness of a rough lover.

Vegeta's body stiffened suddenly, pulling away from her and grabbing her guilty hand. He glared at it then back at her, his hand tightening so hard it made her drop the now empty syringe. It clanked bleakly against the hot ground, immediately forgotten as the two stared. Bulma's glare matched his own, unflinching and challenging. Vegeta snarled, knowing that he had lost and tried once again to strangle her. His hand had made it to her neck, and had even prepared the other with a small blast just as the sedative kicked in and he slumped on top of her.

Bulma sighed in relief as she felt Vegeta relax and sprawl on her in dead weight. She grunted as she shifted under him, his weight slightly painful, until she had successfully rolled him off her. She stayed there on the ground for a while, slowly catching her breath and slowing the fast pace of her heart. The clouds overhead whisked by thoughtlessly, unaware that she had come so close to dying under them.

Sighing, Bulma stood up and walked over to the blameworthy Dragonball. She stared at it for a while, trying to understand the reason it always seemed to bring more harm than good. All those who had ever searched for them were bonded with misfortune and grief along their journey. She guessed that the balls were secretly cursed. Why wouldn't they be? Everything in life had a cost. Man's most yearning desire of all time; a way to grant their every wish, why wouldn't such a thing be anchored with suffering and heartache? Pain and misery, how many had died or thrown their lives away perusing the magical balls for some selfish reason? It seemed that when they were made, they were not meant to be found, or ever used. The balls gleamed with torment and a shadow of death glossed over them meant to ward off greedy humans and aliens alike.

The Dragonball stared back at her innocently.

Bulma lifted the accursed ball and deposited it in the basket of her motorbike. Collecting her medical supplies she encapsulated them and fit them back in her pocket. With a hefty sigh Bulma took one last look at Vegeta. Her lips thinned as she wandered closer. Kneeling down Bulma stared into the hardened face of Vegeta. His expression was stiff and narrowed, yet still handsome and clean. Her hand reached out and glided across his cheek. She could still not believe such a calloused warrior could have such soft skin. It was begging to be touched, stroked, caressed. He had refrained from killing her, and the carnal look that was in his eyes when he stared at her made her tremble.

"If only things could have been different, Vegeta."

He didn't move, not even to flinch. His body remained relaxed and still, calm and listless, effects from the drugs she gave administered him. Bulma returned to her bike and sat upon it. Putting the key in the ignition she listened as the engine began to purr. Taking one last fleeting look at the slumbering Vegeta, Bulma revved up her hover bike and sped off, not taking another look behind.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Time had left a heavy toll on his young mind. It had seemed as though time had no value on Namek. Days carried silently on until the next, no break between the two to reassure him of the last day's passing. He imagined a large grandfather clock, its long brass shaft swinging back and forth endlessly in a dreary diligence of tick tock. No tolling bell to symbolize the passing of the hours, differentiating minutes from hours, day by night.

That is how his days carried on. Gohan tried his hardest not to let the arduous time pattern affect him, but there was only so much his young body could handle. He would feel himself growing tired at random points of the day, pin pointing it to his body's natural pattern of sleeping on the time frame he was accustomed to on Earth.

Ahead of him flew his father's trusted comrade, Kuririn. He himself did not know the small monk that well, but trusted his father's judgment. The time they shared on the spacecraft and fighting by his side against the Saiyan invasion built up one of his earliest friends, second only to Piccolo-sama.

"Kuririn," Gohan called out, his voice was brisk and dulled by the wind.

The monk turned his head, revealing the fresh purple skin around his swollen left eye. Gohan inwardly cringed at the mental vision he depicted of Vegeta causing such an injury.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go after the Dragonballs?"

Kuririn smiled, the edges of his crusted lips curled reassuringly. "We can't just stand around and wait, we have to take the chance. Think, what your father would do?"

Gohan smiled meekly and lowered his head to stare at the beeping device in his hands. The green face of the radar stared back at him, four large orange dots radiated along its surface. They were both positive that they were the Dragonballs either owned by Freeza, or Vegeta. At the moment he didn't know which one he would rather face first. He had heard to keep his distance from Freeza, that he was ten times as powerful and as cruel as Vegeta. However, Gohan had witnessed Vegeta's strength first hand. He knew what powers he had and couldn't help but fear him more then any other creature, regardless of what the adults had warned.

"Right," Gohan nodded his head, a little more to himself then to Kuririn. Together they shot through the sky, no one leading, rather side by side.

--

Bulma flew through the air. Only the sound of the winds was able to block out the noisy motor of her bike. The day was cool and calm, like most she had experienced if she overlooked the raving mid-day heat of the two suns. The days were never unpleasant however. There were never any storms, thick clouds or haze, just the clear green skies and dual suns peaking over the horizon. Weather patterns were not what had worried her. When she had first landed Bulma had been guarded. She had never been on another planet before and did not know what to expect or what sort of cautions to use, was the oxygen levels breathable, or the gravity safe and were there any predatorial animals they should be wary of. Her friends however, Kuririn and the rambunctious son of Son Goku jumped out of the ship almost as quickly as she landed, and with sheer dumb luck managed to survive. If there had been no oxygen, they would have suffocated, and the gravity not been withstand-able, could have flattened them.

She had come to Namek in search of adventure, the like of which she had never experienced before. She had traveled with Goku much of her youth when Dragonballs and Princes still interested her teenaged hormonal mind. But the idea of traveling beyond the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere elated her. Her childlike curiosity and adventure seeking heart as well as that scientific mind of hers jumped at the opportunity to travel in space for a distant planet in technology far beyond that of Earths. She had expected to find thick lands coated with tropics and animals of every size and color, but found herself on a deserted planet with green skies and blue water. Land was few and far between, only small patches of land scattered across the sea like a great earthquake shook the world and divided it. The ground was always dry and rarely green with only small areas of vegetation. The few trees barely acted as decent shade from the mighty suns, which Bulma realized was what she should be most careful about, not any beast, seeing as she had yet to even run into any sort of strange inhabitant besides the friendly Namekians. Bulma was more at risk to get sun and wind burn than anything else.

Though now was not the time to fantasize about adventures and landscapes. Bulma had bigger problems to worry about. In the sack carefully nestled in the rear of her motorbike were the Dragonballs she had gathered for Vegeta. Remembering where he had hidden them, concealed under a large protruding rock, Bulma had taken them, feeling it was only her right to do so. She was the one who found them so that justly gave her the right to take them back. When Vegeta awoke, he would not be very happy to find all of his Dragonballs missing, but that was not her problem now. She had escaped him and had no plan of ever meeting with the dark character again.

She would admit, she found herself growing oddly attracted to the man, but knew better then to let it affect her any more than a high school crush would. She felt bad for leaving him, and her heart tugged at the memory of his mysterious eyes. He intrigued her the way Yamcha had when she first saw him, rising out of the sands in a morbid display of power, eyes piercing black and demeanor as slick and cold as ice. Over time Yamcha grew soft and her attention of him waned. She still felt for him, felt the pain of his death, but the spark had burnt out. Her heart was fickle, and as soon as she had domesticated him, she grew tired of him.

Vegeta however, resembled a dark knight. Unlike Yamcha, he was calculated, reserved, and always dangerous. He also didn't shy from the first thing with long eyelashes and wide hips. He did not seem overly concerned over the fact that she was female. Most men gawked at her, and she fleetingly wondered what made Vegeta any different before the obvious answer smacked her in the face. She meant her words she uttered to him while he was in his state of rest the drugs gave him. Had the circumstances been different, she might have admitted to herself she was interested in him, and might have permitted herself to his company. However the man had no morals, no sense of decency to women including herself, he had kidnapped her for Namek's sake, and wanted nothing more than death and destruction. The man was intolerable and cared little beyond his own selfish desires, so he was not worth her effort.

Her first stop would be to find Kuririn and Gohan. There she would hand them the Dragonballs and be safely on her way. There was no way she was going to have the weight of stashing away Dragonballs with power hungry maniacs flying around the planet that could dispose of her as easily as she could swat at a gnat. Bulma may be brave, but she was not so stupid as to let it get to her head. In the back of her mind, she was already coming up with a plan to snag the Dragonballs from right under Freeza's nose. What she needed was time to write it out, which meant she needed to find a quiet secluded place where no one, including Kuririn and Gohan could find her.

Ahead of her Bulma saw two streaking lights and immediately froze. Her joints locked up, her knuckles squeezed the bars until they turned white, and her bright clear eyes widened with knowing terror. Even just the thought of running into someone on the planet that could fly made her shiver. If they could fly that meant there was a high possibility they were working for none other than Freeza. Though never seeing him herself, Bulma trusted Vegeta disposition. If he was enough to make Vegeta quake in his boots, then she had absolutely no intention of wanting to meet him. To her complete surprise, the first thing she saw as they got closer was one bright orange dot and a purple one. As they got closer she noted the bald head on the orange one, and smiled, relieved.

"Kuririn! Gohan!" She shouted out with a wild hand gesture. The two stopped shortly and looked surprised, before they smiled and rushed toward her with more vigor then a steam truck.

"Bulma!" Was the first thing Kuririn shouted upon seeing his long time friend. He thought at first it was a mirage, or that maybe Vegeta was lurking somewhere just out of sight, but rational thought and a quick check of nearby Ki told him that was not the case. He wanted to hug her in happiness, but knew Bulma's capricious mind and temper so he refrained from doing so. Instead he stood next to her bike and smiled in relief.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys," Bulma laughed to edge off the small twinge of guilt she had. The sight of Kuririn's less then healthy purple eye brought back some memories she wished forgotten.

"How did you get away from Vegeta?" Gohan asked, his eyes marveling the sight of his friend.

Bulma shook her head, fighting back the sudden rush she felt upon remembering their last moments and that heated kiss.

"Don't worry about it. I got away is all that is important."

Gohan was puzzled and looked like he was about to question more, but Kuririn broke in.

"I'll say. I don't know how you did it, but it's a good thing you did, the man is evil."

Bulma bit back her tongue to keep from mentioning how he had rescued her from the Ginyu force. She still had mixed emotions about him and would rather not edge on to her friends about it, especially since they displayed such obvious vindictiveness for the man. Bulma's eyes suddenly widened, just remembering the Dragonballs she had stored in the back. She turned around and hefted the sack and presented her catch to the awestruck duo.

"And you got the Dragonballs? Wa-how Bulma, are you sure you don't have any super strength you never told us about?" Kuririn joked as the orange balls reflected in his dark eyes.

"Very funny. Do what you want with them, I'm heading back to the cave to pick up supplies."

"You're not coming with us?" Gohan looked disappointed.

"Afraid not. Have you seen the crazy people running around here? Why would I follow around you geeks and get messed up with them? I'm not suicidal." She spat, her usual temper and hot tongue lashed.

Completely used to it, Kuririn didn't even notice the insult. "Alright, stay out of trouble and don't get yourself kidnapped again."

She humphed and revved the engine. "No thanks to you." She lifted her nose in the air and drove off, remembering the exact location of the cave by heart.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dizziness. That was the first thing that assaulted him. The blackness of his eyelids gave him no comfort from the sudden wave of nausea that overcame him, yet acted as a shield from the touches of consciousness that buzzed at the corners of his mind. Gingerly he opened one eye, flinching as the bright light from the suns burned his vision. What had happened? Confusion raked over his thoughts as he tried desperately to fight off the dreariness of sleep. His mind was foggy and distant, overcome with uncertainty and disorder. Why could he not remember anything? He could not recognize his surroundings, but heard the sound of a rushing stream. A stream. Water. Blue. _That woman!_

Immediately Vegeta sat bolt up. His eyes fervently scoured the area around him in search of the abnormal hair color that would give away the woman. His teeth clenched when he noticed her absence. The well familiar sensations of rage and hatred began to creep into his mind and began to smolder. The earth woman had betrayed him…deceived him. A growl left Vegeta's lips, and his carefully guarded eyes narrowed into two perfectly tapered black steel orbs. She had somehow managed to outwit him and escape with his Dragonball.

The thought only made his anger rise. The she devil had bewitched him somehow, made him drop his guard enough for her to sink her elongated nails into and prey upon. She waited until his moment of weakness to strike, like the devious snake she was. He could still taste her on his lips, the warm ambrosia of her venomous essence. His tongue peeked out and tasted her again, overcome with the overpowering surge of lust. His body still tingled where her gentle, weak hands touched, setting his skin on fire in ways no other female had ever done. She had somehow managed to engrave her mark in him, her seal, as his mind was plagued with visions that did little but increase his sexual hunger for her.

Oh yes, she was a sinful little succubus, one deadly enough to try and play him for a fool, and audacious enough to trick him with her innocence and tempt him with her luscious curves and butter soft lips. He would have commended her on her bewitchery and charm had he not been so overcome with his anger of her. She had stolen his Dragonball. There was no doubt in his mind that she went after the others as well. The temptress did not know who she was playing with. He had slaughtered millions before her, her insignificant life would mean nothing more to him but another number to add to the list. She had mocked him, humiliated him, and tried to tempt him with her femininity and therefore must pay the price.

"Deceitful little chit," he breathed out through his nostrils, body shaking with the painfully pleasurable collision of carnality and rage.

Grabbing what remained of his broken armor, his energy swarmed. Like a plague of locusts it surrounded him, licked across his skin and snapped through the air. The ground beneath him easily gave way as he took flight into the skies, cracking and moaning out its grief. He would track her down that was no problem. It was what he did when he found her that consumed his thoughts. Thoughts of murder, death and reprisal brought the fire inside him soaring, but in the same token, the lustful thoughts of sweaty skin and warm thighs burned just as bright. Angered by his own unsure thoughts and the disorder his mind was in Vegeta blasted off in the direction to find the miserable little temptress that dared to attempt to outmaneuver and humiliate the prince of all Saiyans.

"You will not escape my wrath!"

When she reached the little island the first thing Bulma did was attach herself to the lawn chair and immediately grab the radio. The radio crackled with white noise as it desperately tried to pick up a signal. Being light-years away from Earth made it near impossible to create a device capable of reaching across space, but thanks to the brilliant mind of her father, Dr. Briefs, they were able to create a machine skilled enough to pick up the Earth's satellites from the far reaches of space.

With eager fingers Bulma worked the knobs and buttons. Her anxiousness was slowly eating at her, the weight of pressure becoming an unbearable load on her back. She did not want to stay here very long, this would no doubt be the first place Vegeta would come looking for her and she did not want to be here when he came.

Relief struck her when the small radio's picture screen lit up and she recognized the familiar green grass and trees as well as the hideously pink lawn chairs of her back yard. There on the screen stood her father, his face calm and tired from age blinking at her with surprise.

"Bulma my daughter, what an unexpected surprise it is to see you, my dear," her father said. His grey mustache bounced as he spoke.

"Are you well father?" Bulma asked. She had not seen her father in months. Though it was nothing new, she grew used to his absences when she was a child and he went on long work related trips to places like America or Japan. Still it felt different being the one who left home, like it had when she first left to gather Dragonballs. Back then she was still carefree and naïve. When she left for the Dragonballs her father's hair was still a pale blue, but upon her return his hair and mustache were spotted and faded with grey. It had scared her at first, enough to make her stay home for a while and concern over her parents. The lines on his face seemed to grow thicker and more noticeable. However his smile never faded. His warm heart and pleasant grin made him appear younger then he truly was.

"Oh of course, your mother and I are doing just fine, how about you? Have any luck with the Dragonballs?" Dr. Briefs asked.

"Do you know if Son-kun is around?" Bulma inquired, purposely avoiding her father's question. He did not need to know of her troubles and what problems they were facing. If he knew he would be sick with worry and she knew that was the last thing the elderly man needed.

Dr. Briefs gave a quick laugh. It was a pleasant sound, one she admitted she missed hearing. "The boy jumped on the ship as soon as I finished. I never even had time to install the cappuccino maker…."

"He left already? That's great news! When is the expected arrival date?" Bulma beamed.

Dr. Briefs shifted and scratched at his chin in thought. The cat stationed on his shoulder stared blindly at her. When she was young, she had thought that the cat was a permanent attachment to her father since it never came off. The cat must have been extremely old, yet it hardly looked like it had aged a day since she was young.

"I'd say about a day or two." He finally announced.

Bulma's face lightened up tremendously. "That is great news."

"Yes well, he seemed awfully eager to get to Namek, is there anything I should know?"

Sweat began to gather on her brow, but she played it off coolly, wiping it away in an expression that depicted hot weather on Namek.

"We have some slight…difficulty. Son-Kun would be the one to tip the scale in our favor though." She wasn't lying outright, just concealing it in half truths.

"Ah yes, the boy always did have a knack to be more then helpful in dire circumstances," he recalled, "And your mother adores him. Would you like to speak with her?"

Bulma took a nervous look behind her. Any sudden noise caused her to jump. It turned out to be nothing more than a bird squawking to his fellow kin.

"No father, I'm in a bit of a rush, but do tell her I miss her and can't wait to come home."

Her father looked at her skeptically. "Alright dear, I won't keep you then, take care of yourself." His face grew serious. The smile on his face vanished into a somber expression he rarely used. His fatherly instincts had no doubt tipped him off and gave away the true dangers they all were in.

"I will," Bulma sighed dejectedly.

"Good luck, dear."

Then the radio disconnected.

Bulma sat back and breathed in a deep gulp of air. She did not like lying to her father, and wanted nothing more than to speak with him longer. It had been some time since she last spoken to him. He had the ability to calm her whenever she was upset, ever since she was little. He had the remarkable gift of making it all go away. She wished she could still rely on him to make her troubles seem insignificant, but she was an adult now and had to face real life on her own, without the aid of daddy's knee and warm smile.

She stood up and looked around the desolate place. The cave they chose to hide in was not pleasant to look at. The ground was patchy and dry and the gaping mouth of the cave looked like the maws of a ferocious bear trying to devour her. The jagged rocks still smelt burnt and bitter. The char markings on the side brought back the memory of when Vegeta had first abducted her and Kuririn had taken the blow for her.

She made her way inside the cave and rummaged around to the door of her hidden Capsule home. Once inside she gathered the precious things she needed at hand and put them back in to their proper separate Capsules attached to her belt. Screw drivers, nuts and bolts, gears and other odd assortment of tools, wires and machinery filled her tool box. She also made sure to grab the scouter she had been primarily working on the entire trip there. While Gohan and Kuririn thought she had done nothing but drink beer in her underwear the entire time on board the ship, she had actually been spending time fixing and improving the little communication device provided to her thanks to none other than Raditz. She had spent the time studying the contraption, learning all its secrets, and even improved the model. It had taken months because of its previous state, and she only managed to finish it the day before they landed. Being in her underwear and drinking beer was only her way of being comfortable while working. Besides, her one best kept secret was that when she was tipsy, she tended to be a lot more on top of her work.

She had also taken the liberty of learning and memorizing the Galactic Standard. This was the language, both written and oral, that were first programmed into the scouter. She found she didn't like the language very much, it had a very guttural sound when spoken and the words were always spoken with military precision. It was not a conceptual language; no emotion like many of the languages on Earth. It was much like Latin, which is why she inferred it to be a military language. It was not meant to be pretty.

She found another language programmed in the scouter, one that had to have been encrypted manually seeing as it was a whole separate unit attached to the inside of the device. She could not find its name, she thought dismally, but it was much more preferable then the harsh sounding Galactic Standard. It was much more fluent and fell off her tongue much easier. It was also not a phonetic alphabet. Different symbols in the words meant different things, much like the Japanese signatures she learned. There was deep notional imagery in all the words, for example there were four different terms for the word Pride, each having a different level of meaning, and words like Honor and Bravery had the same markings. She hadn't the clue what this language was, but found herself treasuring it like a child who discovered a secret nobody else knew.

Bulma grabbed the scouter and exited the house. It would come in handy later to make sure she was safe. Placing the scouter in a capsule, Bulma then put it in her Capsule container, along with some of the other devices she found lying around; another hover bike, a small jet and of course her favorite toys that made loud booming noises.

As she turned however, the sight that met her froze. There was a shadow casting over her, one not made from any rocks, or even an animal, but one made from a person. She had forgotten to turn on the sensors, and therefore was not able to track that someone had found her. Bulma took a deep gulp and took a step back. The figure before her smirked brutally at her, arms crossed over his broad chest and casting a leering look at her through his cold black eyes. The sight of him made her blood run cold. She had never planned on ever seeing the likes of him again, but fate had other ideas in mind.

She stood before his towering form, blood cold and skin as pale as snow. In her hands she gripped her Capsules, which were now useless to her. Then he opened his mouth, and with the most guttural and filthy voice he dared to speak to her.

"Going somewhere?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Bulma stared at his ugly face, the way his upper lip curled when he sneered at her, and the way his eyes glistened with something carnal that made her shiver. She made no move to escape, for she knew any would be futile. He was much faster than her, and his companions would not be far off. Running would be pointless, and a waste of her precious breath.

Bulma glared at him, tired of playing the frightened creature she had previously performed. She straightened her back and lifted her chin, angrily presenting herself with the fierceness of a woman who was sick and tired of being treated rotten.

"Don't make it too easy for me, I do like the thrill of a chase you know," he chuckled.

"I would never award the likes of you with that privilege," Bulma spat at him.

He laughed again and placed his large hands on his hips.

"You sure seem to have a lot more spunk then when I first saw you, look a little different too." His black eyes narrowed as he studied her, and she felt both sickened and insulted by his lecherous gaze.

"But I can sure see what Vegeta saw in you," he laughed heartily again.

"Oh you go to hell!" Bulma screamed. Her eyes sparked and became a lit with rage. As she was about to run, she heard more laughter coming from behind her antagonist.

"Ah Captain, I do think you got 'er mad!"

Bulma's skin blanched when she heard the familiar out of place Australian accent. Soon his red body was visible to her as he entered in the mouth of the cave, shortly followed by the remaining members. The big goofy one smiled dopey at her and waved.

"Well looky here," Came the voice of the reptilian one. She believed this was the first time she had heard him speak and thought it sounded treacherous and sly like a snake, a fitting sound she decided.

"I didn't think we would find her so quickly. She made it easy."

She glared angrily at him causing the others to laugh.

"I don't think she likes you very much Burter," The big one with the red hair said, if she remembered correctly, Recoome was his name.

Burter glowered at Recoome.

"She looks awfully different though, what happened to the little bun in the oven?" Jeice's brows were nit as he swept his eyes over her.

"Yes, did you pop it out already? Are you hiding it somewhere?" Burter hissed.

"Maybe it's hiding in that strange house behind her."

"Or maybe Vegeta is playing babysitter."

They all laughed heartily.

Bulma only stared at them all, their ignorance passing over her in an unaffected manner. She had nothing to fear like they wished to instill in her, for she had no baby to worry over. Their trite and in her opinion, juvenile bantering of her only succeeded in proving to her the intelligence level of the group. So far she was not impressed.

"Who knows, for all we know it could be some strange earth people reproductive stage." Ginyu frowned, annoyed with his men for wasting time arguing over the female. "Enough of this, we found her so now we take her to Freeza."

At the mention of his name, Bulma's demeanor shifted. The last thing she wanted was to be handed to the likes of him. Why was Freeza after her in the first place? Bulma wondered. What was he going to do with her? It made absolutely no sense to her, and she would rather not find out why this mad man was after her in the first place. She needed to escape, find a way into tricking these circus performers enough to get away and judging by who they were-- she scanned the bunch noticing the red one was combing through his hair, the green one was digging at a wedgy and the dopey one was picking his nose--- it wouldn't be that hard.

Bulma shifted the weight onto her other foot and looked at all five members of the Ginyu Force. Slowly she was judging all of them, recognizing their strengths as well as their weaknesses. It did not require any fighting skills whatsoever to determine that the purple one was the strongest for he was the ringleader of the circus, Jeice was probably the second strongest, judging by his haughtiness and the way he acted superior to his crew mates. Though she wasn't certain, he didn't look much like a fighter. Recoome she would bet money on was used for nothing more than a tank. She had witnessed him fighting Vegeta and saw firsthand that he could take many blows and keep coming back, fortunately he lacked common sense. Burter must have some purpose for he rivaled Jeice in arrogance, in fact the two of them seemed to get along the best from the bunch, signaling to her that they did not always play fair and double teamed their opponents. The last one, the one she knew the least about was the little frog boy, Guldo. Bulma's eyes narrowed on the green four eyed creature. He must have served some purpose, other than the butt of his companions' jokes. He must have some hidden talent, something that made him formidable as an opponent. She was unsure how to determine how strong he was as it was, but kept it in her mind not to underestimate him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Bulma said vehemently. Her eyes sparkled with blue fire, behind her back; Bulma grabbed one of her capsules and fisted it tightly.

As Jeice made a step in her direction, Bulma threw out her arm and cast the capsule from her hand. Smoke billowed from the small device, completing her ninja act and allowing her to make a dive inside the Capsule house. Trying to calm down the raging beat of her heart, Bulma rushed through the rooms in a blind frenzy. Anxiously she made it into the bedroom and dived for the TV tray set up by the bed. Her heart drummed loudly with each passing second, secretly loving the thrill with the prospect of getting caught. Her hands grabbed at the capsules and sorted through them, trying to figure out if any were useful to her situation. Her hand grabbed one and she quickly read the label. Bulma bit her lip and fisted it, it would have to do.

The smoke cleared and the Ginyu Force was left covering their eyes to shield them from the smoke. They did not know if the gases were poisonous, but it burned their eyes. As the last of the smoke died away, Ginyu was left staring at the large hot tub that rested where the woman creature once stood. Anger contorted over his features as he noted her absence. With angry shouts at his men, he commanded them to search the small abode before them and bring the girl out to him.

Just as one made it to the door, it burst open and out flew Bulma in a flash of blue. The engine roared on her motorcycle giving Burter just enough time to get out of the way before she blasted past them and down the dirt path.

"After her!" Ginyu shouted. The sheer mockery this weak creature scorned her men with made him livid and knotted with fury. His amused appearance quickly morphed and blind rage.

The circus continued on in a humorous display, large oafish men chasing after a woman in a circle around the cave. Until one small occurrence and the motorcycle slipped in-between Recoome's large legs and escaped out the mouth of the cave, freely taking off into the sky thanks to the jets attached to the rear.

Bulma watched all this comically, being at a safe distance behind the capsule home, holding a small controller in her hands. She had sneaked out the back door when the brutes became distracted by the dummy she had flying about. It was a discontinued project of hers she had left in the capsule home upon the last time she had used it, prior to Namek, a hologram system. Bulma took one more quick look at her apprehenders and sneaked deeper into the mouth of the cave, hoping that she could make it to the southern exit before Ginyu realized he was being tricked.

Ginyu growled low in his throat as he watched the display carry on. Behind him, Burter was staring awestruck, mesmerized by watching Guldo, Recoome and Jeice chase after a human girl.

"What are you standing there for? Go fetch her!"

The mighty holler from their captain shook Burter back into reality and he quickly bowed his head and in less than a second's time, flew in front of the flying contraption.

"Nowhere for you to run, girl." He grinned when the girl stopped. He did not notice the motorized look in her eyes, or the fact that her clothing was different from before. The girl in front of him had longer hair with a small tie by the side of her head and wore jeans, one pant leg ripped off completely; all put together with a typical t-shirt three sizes too small.

Jeice came up from behind and streamed at full speed towards the girl. It was with this momentum that caused him to skirt straight through the image of the human girl and crash head into Burter. Jeice rubbed his head comically, and Burter cried out in shock.

"What was that for?" Burter screeched, growling at his partner who did not understand what happened.

"I don't understand what---" he paused when all eyes turned to the girl. The image of her was fluctuating and hazing and the sound of white noise that assaulted them alarmed them until finally she disappeared completely.

"What…What the hell?!" Jeice cried out.

"A hologram!" Ginyu shouted furiously. His fists clenched together and slowly he turned back to the house. Listened quietly he waited to hear a noise, and was granted the sound of crumbling rocks and light footfalls.

"Guldo!" Ginyu called out. Instantly the small green man came forward and nodded his head, knowing immediately what was needed of him.

Bulma could see the light of daylight streaming through the opening of the cave. She smiled as she raced towards it, symbolizing it as her ticket to freedom. As she reached the exit, she could just barely smell the fresh air before she heard footsteps behind her. Bulma held her breath and turned around. In that instant she felt a wave of nausea overtake her, then dizziness. Her legs wobbled and collapsed under her and she fell to the ground, surrounded by the sound of the vilest laugh she had ever heard.

"You think you are so clever, don't you girl?" The unmistakable grating of Captain Ginyu's voice boomed in her aching head.

Panic and disorder raged war inside her mind. Looking up she saw the face of Ginyu and her stomach lurched. One minute she was close to freedom and now she was sitting before him. What had happened?

"Nice work Guldo," Guldo smirked haughtily at the praise. "Maybe next time you will have enough brains to try that right away!"

The bellow erased the grin off of Guldo's face and he huffed and looked away.

"Quickly let's take her and leave this place, I am already sick of her games and don't want to wait around for her to pull anymore." Ginyu turned briskly and took off into the air, slowly followed by each of his men, one by one.

Bulma inched back when the towering outline of Recoome appeared before her, shadowing the sun in his lurching form.

"Aww, don't be afraid of me girly, I won't hurt ya," he gave a toothy grin (she knew his front tooth was missing thanks to Vegeta) as he reached down and hefted her into his big arms. She struggled against him and cursed him for all she was worth but in the end knew that her struggles bothered him as much as a flee would.

"Recoome will take good care of you, just you wait," the smile on his face was sickeningly sweet, and Bulma found herself being terrified of it just for that reason.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The mind is a terrible thing to waste. As a girl, her father had taught her this lesson, basically raised her with these motives and made her study rigorously as soon as he learned of her quick to learn mind. Since she was young she caught on to problems and was able to break down the most trivial of puzzles most people would take hours learning. By the time she was seven she knew every math formula and equation. By eleven she had graduated school, learning from the best tutors in the world. By the time she was sixteen she finished college and decided to do something with her life. Bulma spent most of her years at home with her family, friends were one luxury she didn't have as a child because she did not attend school, and no child on the block was anyhere near the intellect of a girl her age, so she never got along with her age group.

This was what brought on the girl's lonely, yet natural love for adventure. She soon wanted to find out what lay beyond the expanse backyard of Capsule Corp. She always wanted to learn more, which is why she always held such a fascination with science. When she became of the ripe and tender age where boys start to cloud over her mind, Bulma dreamed of finding the man of her dreams, the prince she had read about in all those books. However none ever showed up galloping on a noble white steed. Any boy that ever took notice of her she found out was only ever after her father's money. This was what pushed her finally to seek out the legendary Dragonballs. If she couldn't find her prince charming out there, then she was just going to have to wish for one of her own. That was when she met Yamcha, and her hope didn't run out. He did not know of her wealth and had no interest in anything other than just being with her. She thought they would be perfect together. He was wild and aggressive and looked like a savage barbarian rising out of the sands of the desert. He looked like a challenge.

She would have told anyone in her youth it was love at first side, which she knew better now. What she thought of as a fierce bandit with a heart as icy as his eyes turned out to be nothing more than harmless man as fragile as a lamb hidden under a wolf's pelt. He was fidgety and nervous, and blushed like a school girl whenever she looked his way. That was how their relationship progressed slowly through the years and Bulma didn't know when she realized how monotonous it really was. She grew tired of him quickly, being able to guess his every action, response, and feeling to whatever she did or said. Not to mention how blindly he followed after her in an argument to beg for forgiveness. He was no challenge, he was a softy.

Bulma cared for him, loved him even, but there was no romance in it, at least not to her. He didn't spark something in her, take her breath away and he certainly didn't challenge her. Every time she had ever pushed for something more than just a feel up, he would get antsy and nervous and turn away. It was frustrating for her, especially when she finally got him into bed with her. No matter how long she had been dating him, he still was that nervous little jittery boy she met in the desert. When they went out in public he caught the attention of other woman just like how he had first charmed her. They would stare at him and flirt with him right in front of her, and Yamcha would laugh nervously, like he always did, and stutter some reply half-heartedly. Bulma would get furious at him, even though she knew he was never interested in other women; he was still shaky around her. But the constant acceptance of women flirting with him was driving her mad. He told her that he wasn't interested and he just didn't know how to respond to that kind of attention, he said he was never used to it in his life growing up. She would heave a sigh and forgive him, knowing that he was true. He acted the same way when she first met him.

However after time she grew sick of him refusing to put his foot down and tell the women to leave and they engaged in another argument. In her rage she had falsely accused him of cheating on her, which not only shocked him, but hurt as well, surprised that she would even think such a thing. She didn't hear any of it and called their relationship to an end.

Then he died.

Bulma felt horrible for what she had done, and even more when she realized she didn't have time to make it up to him. He had died in battle when the Saiyans came, and she was torn with guilt. She missed him now, missed his soft voice, his warm arms, his loving smile and cheerful laugh that made all her problems go away. She knew a relationship with him now would not last. She missed the friend she had in him, and wanted nothing more than to make amends. That was why she had planned this whole trip, to have one last chance to fix things, to set things right between them. However, things were not going exactly how she planned.

A belch resonated and the vocals of four laughs echoed in the still air. Bulma curled her lip and turned away in disgust, the Ginyu Force were nothing more than well trained circus pigs. Kidnap seemed to be the word that had been following her around ever since the trip began, and she damned Kuririn for cursing her. Though she would admit, she preferred the company of Vegeta then these five goons.

"--And then he said, that's not a Thenian slug, that's a Carnath traitor!"

They all bellowed in laughter at the joke and Bulma rolled her eyes and looked away. Her eye began to twitch when she felt the big meaty arm of Recoome constrict around her a little. They had all decided that they deserved a break after finding her, and landed on some stranded piece of land for a drink. And drink they did. The booze was passed around to all members, each one taking more than generous swigs of alcohol and laughing and sharing jokes. Sadly, Recoome hadn't drunk enough to release her.

"Aww, what's the matter girly? You don't want no Argian whiskey?" Recoome looked down at her with a little frown, shoving a flask under her nose. Bulma's nose curled and she quickly pushed the flask away, clearly disgusted by how it smelt. Recoome frowned and took a large swig, some of it missing his gigantic mouth and trailing down his chin. She hadn't touched their drink or the "food" they had provided her. They might not have been human, but Bulma still felt sickened at the thought of eating a Namekian.

"She doesn't deserve it," Ginyu slurred out, his face showing his distaste for the blue haired human as well as the dazed look of intoxication. "She's nothing but a little slut anyway, I know what she really thirsts for," he smirked suggestively and made a lewd gesture with his hand. Bulma's blood began to boil, and her face grew red with fury.

"Got to hell," she snarled, eyes ablaze in rage.

Ginyu laughed with the rest of them, minus Recoome who was watching it all peculiarly. "Well...she finally speaks, eh? What's the matter anyway? I was only speaking the truth. Why don't you get on your hands and knees so you can have..."

"Like I would ever do something as revolting as that! Just looking at you churns my stomach!"

Ginyu's corky attitude vanished immediately and he frowned. "Then what is it, eh? You only have a taste for that Saiyan's cock?"

That got to her. In less than a second she had managed to stand up and if not for Recoome, would have barreled into Ginyu at full speed. Ginyu found it all very amusing, as he began to laugh at her fierce attempts to get out of Recoome's grip. In his drunken stupor he nearly fell off the log.

"I don't she looked that very much, Captain," Jeice laughed. "The chit is a wild thing, I like that. Do you think Lord Freeza would mind if I tried her out a little?"

"Feh," Ginyu waved off dismissively, and Jeice grinned widely.

"Don't you touch me!" Bulma screamed. She managed to escape the arms of a baffled Recoome by biting down as hard as she could on his massive arm and barreled off as fast as she could away from the group. Behind her she could hear laughter. Bulma's heart raced as she ran around trees and houses. She pretended that the bodies she was jumping over were not Namekians the Ginyus had killed upon landing. Her mind was going numb at the thought of getting caught, the look in Jeice's eyes made her stomach roll and the bile to rise in her throat, she did not want to get caught and subject herself to anything he would do to her.

In that second she felt something tackle her and she went sprawling onto the dirt, gasping in pain when she collided with the ground. She was flipped over and met the lust filled hazy eyes of Jeice sitting on top of her looking at her like she was a piece of meat.

"And where do you think you were going sweet cheeks?" He grinned as his hands snaked down her shirt, ripping it off in one clean sweep. Bulma's scream bounced off the tree tops.

"Get your hands off me!" She hollered fighting in vain to get the man off her. He wouldn't budge and his hands were roughly grabbing hold of any exposed flesh available.

"What's the matter, don't you like this? You let Vegeta have it you little whore, why not me?" His breath was atrocious, it smelt heavily of booze and suffocated her. It was obvious he was under the effects of serious intoxication.

"Stop it!" She screamed, kicking her legs out. She felt like crying, scared out of her wits about what was to come. His hand came down and went under her skirt, and Bulma screamed out into the skies as he pulled away her panties, laughing as he did so.

"You fucking bastard! Get off me!" Her face was red with panic, fear, and anger and tears bled down her face like rain.

"Don't worry doll, it won't hurt for lo—"

Bulma looked up when the weight on top of her vanished. Breathing in harsh gasps, Bulma looked up in blurred vision to see who had rescued her and gasped at the face she saw, his eyes glaring murderously at Jeice.

"Are you okay girly?" Recoome asked, his voice held a note of softness it always had when he spoke to her. Bulma couldn't bring herself to speak, she could only sit there in mortification at what almost happened. She tried covering herself the best she could, but failed miserably. The tears continued to stream down her face, and Recoome slowly picked her up. Too much in shock and to mortified to do anything but, Bulma buried her face in his arms, silently crying and praying to god that she was alright.

Jeice pulled himself out of the wall he crashed into, holding his head in pain.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for Recoome?!" Jeice snarled at his partner, immediately growing sober.

"Master Freeza said she is not to be touched, you tried to harm her." Recoome replied.

Jeice's face grew red with fury. "Give'r back! I wasn't going to hurt her! I was only going to use her!" He ran back over and tried to yank Bulma out of his arms. Bulma made a shrieking noise and buried herself further in the giant's arms.

"No," Recoome glared at Jeice easily turning around, the height difference making it easy for him to avoid Jeice.

Jeice only grew angrier. "But that's what she's for! She's a whore, that's what they do!"

"She is not!" Recoome bellowed thrusting an angry glare at his comrade who backed away in pure shock. "She's a lovely, beautiful lady and you are scaring her!"

"What---what has she done to you Recoome?" Jeice stuttered taking another step back. "She-she must be a witch, she must have put some sort of spell over you! That's what she must have done to Vegeta! Recoome you have to snap out of it!"

"She is not a witch," The giant frowned and began walking towards Jeice, who was backing up as if he was contagious. "Now, say you are sorry to the girly for hurting her."

Jeice looked at Recoome like he grew another head before he gulped and saw the murderous looked in his eye. He looked at the package shivering in his arms and opened his mouth, quickly throwing out an apology and turning away.

Recoome's expression immediately changed and he smiled brightly down at Bulma. "See, all better now. Jeice didn't mean it."

Bulma stared into his big gaping face with disbelief. She refrained from saying anything however, not trusting her voice to speak unless another scream be unleashed. It had only been a few hours and already she had to face such horrors, what else was to come of her? She shivered, the arms around her providing little warmth to her terrifying thoughts. She could feel the man holding her moving but didn't look up. Bulma didn't care. They moved quite a distance before she was put down on the ground. Bulma immediately balled herself up in a protective ball to hide her insecurity.

"Are you okay now, pretty lady?" His deep obnoxious voice caused her to look up. Bulma sniffled and nodded her head, not understanding the giant's kindness.

"Jeice can be a little mean, but he don't mean nothing. Plus, I won't let nothing hurt ya."

"But why?" Bulma couldn't help but ask. She wiped away her tears and stared down the Ginyu Force member. "Why do you care so much? I don't mean anything to any of you!"

The offish man shrugged his huge shoulders and sat down with a loud resonating thump. When he didn't say anything more, Bulma sighed and gave up on her anger. The man obviously didn't have the brains to explain to her the details of why she was captured. A loud growl filled the silent air between them, and Bulma blushed when she realized it was coming from her stomach.

Before she knew it, a piece of fruit was thrust under her nose, the smell causing her mouth to water. Looking up Bulma saw Recoome's grinning face. Tentatively she took the offer, being careful not to unfold her arms completely and reveal her exposed bosom. The fruit smelled wonderful, and she savagely tore into it, like she hadn't eaten in days. It tasted good. The juices filled her mouth and dribbled down her chin. She had never before tasted something as succulent as this before, and soundly wondered what it was called.

When she was done, she went back to staring at the big man who was watching her carefully. She shivered under his stare, feeling uncomfortable at his gawking. He didn't even blink, and that sickeningly sweet smile was still on his large lips.

"You said you won't let anything hurt me," Bulma began feeling more daring to speak. Her eyes narrowed on the brute, not trusting, but oddly satisfied. "Yet you are taking me to this Freeza. Who's to say he won't hurt me?"

Recoome laughed slightly, his smile never leaving. "Bah, Master Freeza isn't all that bad, he won't hurt you."

"Isn't all that---" Bulma repeated in disbelief. He was even dumber then she first thought. She shook her head, "What does he even want with me then?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, something about having the edge over Vegeta or something like that..."

Bulma stared amazed. Did Freeza really think that he could control Vegeta by using her? It was enough to want her to burst into laughter. Vegeta wanted her dead, he would probably urge Freeza to kill her. There was no way that he could possibly get Vegeta to bend to his will by using her as a bargaining tool.

"There has been a misunderstanding," Bulma chuckled. "Vegeta cares very little for me, in fact he wants me dead. Freeza won't be able to have any benefits with having me there."

"I don't know," Recoome looked at her peculiarly, "I saw the way he looked at you when we fought."

"You saw wrong," Bulma quickly blurted. A part of her grew excited by Recoome's admittance, why? Why did she suddenly feel giddy? She couldn't have possibly wanted Vegeta to feel something for her, did she?

Quickly Bulma brushed the ideas from her head, focusing on the problems before her. "He cares only for himself. I am nothing to him." Even as she said that, she knew she was trying to convince herself more than the giant in front of her. She could still feel his lips on her, and how driven he was to smother her with them. '_It is best not to imagine such fake ideas. There is no way there can be anything between the two of us.'_

"I don't understand why," Recoome's booming voice made her focus on his face. He grinned widely, "You're such a pretty girly."

Bulma laughed nervously, not entirely sure how she should respond to his constant endearments.

"Vegeta doesn't deserve a girl like you," He suddenly said, his voice taking a darker tone that made her insides shiver slightly. He looked at her with obvious anger. "I would never treat you bad if you were mine. Vegeta is nothing but an evil man with no hope and no planet."

"Why, why do you say that?" Bulma was curious how much the Ginyu member knew about Vegeta. During her time with Vegeta she learned very little about him or his past, only that it was bloody. The thought of learning more about him made her excited, and she didn't understand why.

"Tell me what you know of him."

Again Recoome shrugged, "His planet was destroyed when he was nothing but a little kid. Master Freeza told him it was a meteor, but the truth was he destroyed it himself."

Bulma nodded her head at the admittance, having heard it before from Ginyu. She had seen the pained looked that flashed before Vegeta's eyes, right before he blocked it up with a wall of anger.

"He was a prince you know, of the entire planet, and an arrogant little brat too," Recoome continued, "Master Freeza made Vegeta work for him purging planets and promised that if he did he would release his father. He wound up killing the old king anyway. It was around then I think he changed. When I first met him he was nothing but a snobby uptight punk, like all little princes, but after that he was something else...something darker." Recoome looked at her face with the most serious expression she had ever seen on him.

"He grew angry, unnaturally so, even to his own monkey friends. He never did any activities outside fighting and destroying planets, only obsessed with growing stronger. He was paranoid and always on guard, like he was waiting for something to attack him. He was constantly punished too. It got worse as he got older, and we all witnessed him fall deeper and deeper into dementia. It's all this sick obsession of his. He's done things in his life that makes even me cringe."

Bulma looked at Recoome in silent awe. The thoughts that invaded her mind plagued her with ideas and answers she didn't know if she even wanted to know. Vegeta was a killer, she knew that, but to have someone like Recoome talk about how evil he was frightened her. She understood that it was all his opinion, and that he obviously was missing key elements about him that would cause such a drastic change in one's personality. His home was destroyed, that alone would have broken her. His father was held hostage, the king, something that amazed Bulma still. He was a prince and was subjected to such cruelty. Whatever Freeza did to him altered him. It sounded like he was borderline crazy. Hearing him speak of his lust for blood sent shivers down her back. It wasn't hard to imagine him standing there on a pile of dead bodies, blood covering his entire form and that horrifying laugh splitting the air.

Did he deserve having gone through what he had? Bulma didn't think so. In the small moments she caught it, she could see a different person in his place. One that didn't need carnage and destruction to fill his desire. Whatever Freeza had done to him scarred him, not only physically, but twisted his psyche so much he was on the verge snapping.

"But there is still good in him," Bulma whispered out, trying to convince herself. She had seen it in only small glimpses, his eyes telling the tales his lips would never dare let pass. "Tell me there is."

Recoome looked at her and saw her somber expression. He sat back and thought. "The little man had honor. He always took responsibility for anything that happened to his men. If one of those stupid monkeys screwed up, Vegeta would take the blame for them. I saw it, the torture he would go through just for them, and sometimes he would barely make it alive. I wish my partners would do the same for me," Recoome sighed.

Bulma smiled up at Recoome. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

* * *

A/N: I want to apologize for the delay. Life is just full of surprises and turns and I unfortunately got stuck in a bad situation. I recently lost my car thanks to a drunk driver and have been going through a lot of hard times right now. I apologize for not updating, but you can obviously see it is not one of the top priorities of my life right now. However I want to assure you dear readers that I will finish this story, and that I will not leave it unfinished like so many others. Thank you all for being so patient and for your constant support.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

In the minutes upon taking flight, Vegeta had reassured himself that the only thing he desired to do was to kill the blue haired banshee, only after she told him where she had taken his Dragonballs. His own desires for power were always the strongest force inside of him and no feelings as weak and fleeting as lust could sway him. The Dragonballs were his, and once he found them all, he would make sure to include another trip back to Earth to finally eradicate the source of all his troubles; namely earthling existence.

In the distance his eyes spotted a squat piece of land floating amidst the ruined and broken islands of Namek. The large gaping cave tickled his nerves, sending waves of anxiousness through him at the thought of bloodshed. His first instinct was to locate the woman there, where he had first found her. If she was not there, the area would still prove to be sufficient for clues as to her whereabouts. The cluster of the humans seemed to have taken dwelling there as he recalled.

Vegeta's boots made no sound upon landing on the dead ground under him. His eyes narrowed as he scoured the land, looking for any distinct movement. His ears listened for any sound, a thumping heart, and heaving breath, or trampling feet. Nothing remotely reached his senses.

"Not here. Damn."

Sniffing the air, he could taste the temperatures of battle, smog and magnetic explosions; Ki blasts. They still smelled fresh. However above it all, he could smell a discrete smell, a fragrant saturation that was thick and heavy. A womanly scent. She had been here, and recently.

His upper lip turned into a smirk, proud that his natural Saiyan instincts had served him well in tracking his prey so quickly. She was only steps ahead of him. Moving forward, Vegeta deemed it to search the area. The outside of the cave held little but a turned over lawn chair and a mountain of magazines and was that a…bathing unit?

Blinking and shaking his head at the odd article, Vegeta entered into the mouth of the cave, his hawk-like eyes already adjusting to the change, black pupils growing wide and dominant. There he found what was sure the human's dwelling; a large dome shaped structure he guessed passed as an abode on planet Earth. Vegeta made his way to the door (which he noticed with a raise of the brow was wide open), kicking over every useless little device lying around. The door creaked silently as he took his first step in. Immediately Vegeta's nose was assaulted with the heavy stench of alcohol. Vegeta frowned as he walked in further, his feet making a _crunch _sound as they stepped on something. Looking down he notices a small aluminum can. Reaching down Vegeta picked it up. He frowned when he realized he did not recognize the print, but it gave away where the smell had come from; it positively reeked of alcohol.

Upon landing on Earth Vegeta had made it a point to learn the most popular languages the planet had including Chinese, Spanish, English, and Arabic. It would figure the few humans he had the most trouble with weren't native to those dialects. He was just fortunate they at least could speak English.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta crushed the can in his hand and threw it over his shoulder, not caring where it landed. His eyes roamed over the inside surface, looking for anything that might be of some use to him, or any hints as to where the blue human had run off to. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. A cream colored table in front of a large screen monitor, a small kitchen area, and two doors down the hall. However, one thing the whole area seemed to have excess of was trash.

"These humans live like animals." Vegeta grumbled as he looked about, seeing more of the tin cans and wrappers of food lying about everywhere. Everywhere. Upon every countertop and space of floor. It was disgusting.

Kicking trash away as he marched through the home, Vegeta entered the kitchen area. If asked, he would have said he was checking to see if there might be something worth looking for there, not the sudden excited pull his stomach made at the possible presence of something edible. With a curl of his brow he noticed nothing remarkable lying around the otherwise messy kitchenette. There were dirty dishes filling up the sink and on the counters, empty cardboard boxes and food cans and wrappers, fruit peelings and stale bread and some odd slop otherwise glued to the table. Not wanting to dirty his gloves any further (they were already caked on with dried blood and dirt) Vegeta avoided going through the mess and walked towards the large storage unit in the corner. He vaguely noticed it resembled the small white contraption the woman had stored her food in.

Vegeta's fingers itched to open the apparatus and grabbed the handle. It easily gave way and his body was fleetingly chased with a chill as the door opened. His dreams however were crashed when he noticed the only thing inside was a carton of small eggs and a yellow stick of goo, which smelt like salt. Grumbling, Vegeta slammed the freezing unit shut a little harder than what it could take, for the machine rattled and shook.

Next was the hallway that led into a bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was an ever flowing mess. Clothes covered most of the floor as well as more of the cans of the alcoholic beverage. There was a large dresser to the right, upon which rested a large vanity mirror, no doubt tortured by its owner vainly spending hours preening in it. Vegeta tugged open a drawer and dumped its contents all over the floor. Like it mattered much, it hardly made a difference in the already chaotic room. Articles of clothing spilled out of all shapes and sizes; everything from bright orange to plaid to a hideous bright pink number. One of the drawers held an assortment of bottles, lotions, powers, and things he recognized as woman's cosmetic supplies. He also discovered a ring of keys, which Vegeta studied closely before pocketing; you never know what importance they held.

The top drawer opened and Vegeta stuck his hand in, pulling out its contents in an agitated manner, it seemed there was nothing of real value and he was growing quite bored. His hand ran across something smooth and thin. Curious, Vegeta pulled it out and blinked at the small black tiny scrap of cloth, which he immediately recognized as a woman's undergarments. Vegeta sneered and threw it over his shoulder, not even bothering to wonder why such a useless garment needed to have so much damn lace and ruffles. His hands found another article of clothing, but this time he stared dumbfounded at the device. It was black like the other garment, but it was built differently, with straps and padding.

Unsure of what its purpose was, Vegeta held it up and tried to picture what the idiotic female could possibly use the thing for. As he held it up, he noticed how easily the straps rested against his fingers like shoulders, and when held in such a way the two cups in the front looked a lot like…

A sudden redness touched Vegeta's cheeks and the tip of his nose at the winking image his thoughts gave him. Growling mad, he tossed the device over his shoulder and continued looking about. The bed was covered with mounds of clothes, which Vegeta shoved aside easily. Nothing there. Not a damn thing.

Vegeta quickly lost patience. He was beyond frustrated with not finding anything of use in the small dome. Nothing but useless trinkets and garbage. In anger Vegeta lashed out and kick the bed, sending it flying across the room and crashing down on the dresser mirror. The shattering it made made him feel a little bit better. When the bed came crashing back down to the floor, Vegeta surveyed the damage he had caused and a small smirk hitched his face. He briefly wondered what the woman would think if she returned to see the destruction he caused. She always did have this utterly amusing look on her face whenever she got mad.

Something gleaming caught his eyes and he turned to look at the now destroyed mirror. However it wasn't the tiny fragments of glass that caught his attention. No, where the mirror once stood complete now revealed a metal door. A safe.

Smirking, Vegeta made his way over to the dresser. A splinter sized wave of energy was all it took to melt the lock and make it useless. Vegeta spent the time it took taking off the melted thing ridiculing human innovations and their inability to sustain a little Ki. The door easily shifted open revealing a small container. Reaching in, Vegeta pulled it out and looked over the container in his hand, once again cursing when he couldn't read the script. He found a latch and opened it, inside lay twelve little capsules. Vegeta recognized them instantly as the small storage devices the woman was prattling on and on about.

He pocketed these too, and quickly left the trashed house. Vegeta stood outside the cave and let the breeze carry the fresh scents under his nose again. There was a battle here and since there seemed to be no smell of death, could mean that his victim was taken alive by someone. He was almost sure that it was Freeza behind it. Cursing, Vegeta flew into the air and turned east, he needed to find a way to steal the little bitch back before she blabbed to Freeza where she had taken his Dragonballs.

Bulma found herself silent, something any of her friends would tell you she definitely was not. However, she felt no urge to vocalize her discomfort, her hunger, lack of appropriate state of dress, or need of a bath. The Ginyu members had a way of making her feel small and docile, for their over-arrogance and domineering presence shrunk her to the size of an ant. Bulma had been through a lot in her life time, but rape was something she had never experienced and the close call she had gotten was enough to scare her into submission, and so she remained silent.

She couldn't even focus on what the bolstering idiots were saying to her and though Recoome's arms were fastened tightly around her in protection, she felt nothing if more anxious and uneasy. She didn't know how long they were flying, but eventually they came to a stop in front of what looked like a giant space ship. Bulma, ever the scientific mind, temporarily forgot her fear in favor of staring at the space craft with keen awe. It was large and circular, almost disc shaped, and the hilarity of the typical UFO resemblance didn't go unnoticed by her.

As she stared, having a million and one questions and theories running through her head, she was faintly aware as Recoome began to walk. She was still wrapped securely in his big grip. Bulma could have stayed like that for hours, just looking at the large ship, yearning to run inside and analyze it like a sixth grader in science class for the first time being able to dissect a dead frog.

"Well? Is that it?"

The creaky voice made Bulma jump and she quickly looked for the source. Her eyes fell onto a sickly looking creature that sat in a hovering chair. It had long black horns and purple lips, skin looking scaly and pale. Though he looked like a skeleton, weak and brittle, like he would snap in half if he came out of his chair. Maybe that was the case. She didn't take long to stare at it though, for it wasn't very interesting to look at, and so, Bulma went back to observing the space craft.

"Well, is it?" It repeated, sounding more annoyed. Its voice sounded just as frail as its body did; light and cracked, like an old woman's.

"Yes Master Freeza," Said Ginyu after hesitating.

The name hit her like a bomb dropped. Her eyes grew comically wide and Bulma had to hold in her breath before she made a loud gasp. Her eyes immediately turned to stare at the creature again with new fascination. Its beady red eyes gleamed at her and regarded her like a pet, something on display he was observing from a glass window. They were dark and pinned her to her spot (not as if she could go anywhere anyway). This was Freeza?

That couldn't be right. This thing was small and bony and wispy and well…it definitely wasn't intimidating to say the least. Bulma's mind had put a face to the awful name Freeza once she had heard Vegeta utter it with such morbid disdain and fear. She had depicted a large creature and gaping fangs and bulging muscles, a large snout and a terrifying voice that shook the ground and echoed in the mountains.

To say the least, Bulma was surprised.

Recoome walked forward and set Bulma with care down onto the ground. Immediately, Bulma crossed her arms, hiding her breasts that were exposed because of her ripped shirt.

The creature, which Bulma had to forcefully remind herself, was actually the terrifying Freeza, floated closer to her in his hover chair. His eyebrow, or the flap of scaly skin that was where the eyebrow _should _have been if he had hair, rose with curiosity. Bulma's eyes locked onto his, never wavering.

Then its lips curled up.

"What an ugly species." It rasped. Bulma caught the sight of a purple tongue slithering about as he spoke. "They look almost as hideous as those Saiyans did. Humanoids are among the most repulsive creatures I have ever seen."

One of its scaly hands came down and Bulma flinched. His touch was cold, like that of a corpse, against her cheek. She had to bite her lip to keep from squealing out. She knew it would get her killed otherwise. The hand then moved aggressively into her hair, grabbing a handful and yanking. Here Bulma did make a soft sound in protest, wondering why everyone kept doing that. She saw its eyes drop to the rest of her and then its lips bend into a frown again and Bulma felt her heartbeat race, the loud thudding reaching her ears.

"I thought you told me it was with child." Freeza's voice was crisp and sharp with irritation.

"She was Master Freeza, we had seen it." Ginyu spoke up again. "We believe she might be hiding the youngling or maybe her gestation…"

Freeza inhaled deeply by her ear and then snarled, throwing her away from him. She went sprawling across the dirt.

"You morons! She was never with child!"

The Ginyu force all cringed and took a step back.

"But…but, it's the truth!" It was Jeice this time, that insufferable bastard. Bulma's eyes glared wickedly at him, plotting out his slow death.

Freeza looked unconvinced. "Shut up, all of you." He glared at them and Bulma took some humor in seeing all of the proud and strong Ginyu Force shrinking back with their tails between their legs.

"You just proved to me how incapable you are at following my prestigious orders." Freeza growled low in his throat, at least that's what she thought it was, it could have been his regular voice, Bulma couldn't really tell.

Freeza's eyes then darted down and stared at her. Immediately her eyes locked with his and her breath hitched. She didn't like the way this thing looked at her, and didn't like the slow forming curl of his small lips.

"But still, she may still have her uses. We may still be able to use her to our advantage to get Vegeta." He was talking more _at _her rather than _to _her.

Bulma didn't dare disagree with him. Even though she knew his statement about Vegeta was false, she wasn't going to admit it to him. Right now it was the only thing keeping her alive, and she knew if she told Freeza that she meant nothing to Vegeta, he would kill her in an instant.

"Take it away. Get it something to wear; the sight of it is sickening."

Bulma began struggling as Recoome took off towards the ship she was so fascinated with earlier, with her in his bulky arms. The ship opened in a very clichéd like manor, a hatch opened from some unseen crease in the exterior, and they walked in. The inside halls were thin and cramped. The floors were tiled and florescent lights hung from the sides of the wall rather than the ceiling. Bulma gave up struggling as she studied the inside, hoping to catch an eyeful inside the doors they passed. There were strange creatures in all different shapes, sizes and colors, all in similar armor. Her eyes landed on one room they past full of equipment that immediately caught her attention. She found herself self-consciously trying to pull herself free to go explore there.

When they reached a specific room, Recoome released her and grinned at her.

"Here you go lady. You stay here and Recoome will find you something to wear."

Bulma could only give a half hearted smile that didn't reach her eyes and nodded at the gentle giant. She was glad at least that she was being treated nicely by Recoome, it gave her a sense of appreciation and gratitude. He didn't have to be so pleasant to her, and she was very grateful. Sadly however, the room he had left her in was barren of anything that would catch her scientific eye. She grumped slightly and crossed her arms and looked out one of the windows.

It only took a few minutes before Recoome bounded back into the room, brandishing clothing with a triumphant look on his face.

"Here ya go, girlie, somethin' for you to wear." He smiled brightly at her and Bulma looked at what he chose. It was a black latex suit and dark green armor. Oh, perfect. "I picked out the colors myself."

Not wanting to look ungrateful, which she really wasn't; she had no right to be picky after all, for it was either this or walk around half naked.

"Thanks." She gave another half smile and accepted the clothing with one hand; the other was covering her breast.

Recoome gave that unnaturally wide grin.

"Can, can I ask you something?' Bulma asked quietly, almost regretting saying anything the minute her weak voice echoed the room.

Recoome looked at her peculiarly then nodded his head.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me and yet, this is the nicest I have been treated by anyone in a long time." It was true. Bulma almost forgot what it felt like to be treated like a human being after landing on Namek.

Recoome shook his head and shrugged. "You're different. Real different from the other girls I met." He said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Bulma asked.

"Well, you are still innocent. You're not spiteful and you still have spirit, not like those whores hanging around here practically dead. It's been a while since I saw life in a woman before. You also look like me, like my kind."

The confession touched her and also frightened her.

"My squad always picks on me because I never played around with the whores here. On my planet, woman who showed strength and spirit were considered beautiful, powerful and worthy, good wife material. But the girls here just walk around with dead eyes and spread their legs to anyone; it gives me the creeps."

"Where is your planet?"

Recoome kept smiling. "It's far from here. I miss it there. Aushura is a large planet, real pretty and blue, like you." He blushed slightly, something that looked incredibly odd on the hulk. "Maybe one day I will take you there."

"Maybe." Bulma said quietly. It was odd talking to someone who worked for Freeza. He seemed almost too nice to work here.

"If you like it so much, how come you work for Freeza?" Bulma couldn't help but ask.

"Recoome had no choice." The giant looked at his feet. "My kind don't fight much. We are a race of workers; farmers and blacksmiths. The day Master Freeza came he rounded a bunch of us together to work for him. He thought we would do better as fighters and made us all fight our fellow brothers to death. I was the victor." Bulma noticed the small sad smile he gave.

"I had no choice but to work for him, my family had little money and this job pays good. I worked hard and soon I was in the Ginyu Squad, one of the highest positions. Pretty cool, huh?"

Bulma didn't agree.

"So you enjoy working for Freeza?"

Recoome frowned and sighed. "Recoome would be lying if he says he hasn't enjoyed it sometimes. But working with Ginyu is hard. He is mean and merciless like Saiyan Vegeta, so is Recoome's other team mates. They pick fun at me for it."

"So you don't like working in the Ginyu Force then?"

Recoome looked up at her, his mouth opened like he was going to admit it, then he just smiled and shook his head in a dismissive action.

"Like I said, it pays good. Recoome can afford to keep family from slavery back home."

Bulma took all this in and then nodded her head. When Recoome saw that her questioning was done, his smile brightened again into that impossibly wide grin and waved good bye.

"Get dressed, I'll see you soon pretty lady."

Then he left.

Bulma looked at her given outfit and sighed. She carefully shredded the rest of her clothing and put on the skin tight suit. It was almost a complete copy of the one she was formerly wearing with her yellow outfit, only the material was alien to her. It felt like latex, or plastic, but it was surprisingly warm and soft. Then she slipped on the green armored plate. She knew of its stretchy nature when she first removed Vegeta's armor to tend to his back. It fascinated her really, and she couldn't wait to get home and tinker around with the alien wear. She slipped on the boots and gloves then tucked in all her capsules into her breastplate and then admired herself in her window's reflection. Bulma couldn't help but be amused at how she looked. She looked like one of the bad guys. To add effect, Bulma frowned and crossed her arms, mimicking the pose she had seen Vegeta do time and time again. She couldn't contain her laughter however and burst into giggles as the sight.

Suddenly she heard the swishing of the automatic doors and Bulma quickly turned to see the intruder. It was some alien she couldn't identify. He was lizard like, different from whatever species Freeza was. Its face was long and snout extended and there was a lack of horns. It also spoke with a perceivable hiss.

"Master Freeza issss expecting you." It rasped and she caught sight of sharp jagged teeth.

Before Bulma had a time to argue, it grasped her wrist and pulled her down the hall. She was taller than the creature, probably a good two heads actually, and she found that she could in fact fight against him. It surprised her that he was so weak, being man handled by so many of Freeza's fighters she expected them all to be macho powerful. This one was pitifully weak however. She noticed its white coat over the armor it wore and came to the conclusion that it must have been a researcher, not a fighter.

Bulma's eyes caught a little flicker of orange and she immediately turned to the source. There, in one of the rooms lay five orange glimmering Dragonballs.

A completely empty, unguarded room.

They made it down the halls until they came to a double door. They slid open and the lizard creature tugged her in. Bulma stared anxiously at the shadowed form of Freeza, who was smiling at her in a way that was anything but pleasant.

"Well my dear, I must say that your arrival on this planet was unconventional, but I am pleased that it can in fact benefit me." Freeza announced.

Bulma couldn't find her voice to speak.

"I will skip introductions since I am completely aware that by now you know who I am and I have no interest in knowing your name. You know of the Saiyan by the name of Vegeta, correct?'

Bulma could only nod.

"Excellent. Now would you be so kind as to make my job much easier and tell me where the simian is hiding?"

"I-I don't know where he is…sir." Bulma mumbled out, biting her lip.

Freeza looked angered by this. "What was that?"

"I said I don't know where he is, sir." It was the truth; Bulma had no clue where Vegeta was.

Freeza's hover chair zoomed closer to her and Bulma held her breath. He glared at her angrily and it almost caused her to whimper at how dangerous it was.

"Let me explain something to you." He hissed out. "I don't tolerate liars, not one bit. If you don't tell me where Vegeta is hiding and where he has hidden my Dragonballs you will regret ever meeting him and myself, do I make myself clear?"

The tip of his tail, god his ugly scaly tail that looked like a wriggling maggot, curved around her face and against her cheek, slicing it open and drawing out her rich blood. She didn't even know his tailed was that sharp.

"I swear to you I don't know where he is. I- I ran off and left him by some river hours ago. I don't know where he is. I don't." Her voice was shaking with panic. This was unlike Vegeta. With Vegeta there was terror, but also hope, she knew he wouldn't kill her because he had uses for her. Freeza however didn't, and he_ would _kill her.

"Lying cunt!"

His tail, quick as a whip, slashed across her and sent her flying across the room with a howl. Her back smashed against the wall, forming a dent. Bulma crashed against the floor, a larger bleeding wound gave birth on her face, this time reaching across the first wound, crosswise her nose, and stopping right under her left eye.

She whimpered as her hand went up to shield her face, feeling the warm blood grow cold against her fingers. It wasn't shallow. It was likely to scar.

"I will give you one more chance to save yourself. I don't enjoy games, especially with warm blooded animals. Where is Vegeta?"

Bulma whimpered, unable to keep the tears from coming. The salt from her tears stung her wounds, only making her cry harder.

"I told you, you sick fuck, I don't know where he is!" Bulma screamed out until her throat stung. She didn't care at that moment. Didn't care that she had just insulted the most powerful creature in the universe, didn't care that she lay there defenseless, bleeding and crying in front a room full of alien creatures. She was going to _die_, and she knew it. What difference did it make?

Freeza's face showed nothing but unflinching cold and mercilessness. "Kill her." He stated gravelly, with little to no emotion beyond dead bitterness. "She's a useless bag of warm flesh. We can find Vegeta by other means."

Bulma only continued to whimper on the floor, holding her still bleeding face. She curled into a ball and awaited her death. What a pitiful ending for herself. She heard the footsteps of someone walking towards her and through her bloodied fingers looked to see the grinning face of Jeice.

He cracked his knuckles and gleamed at her. The sick bastard. Anyone but him, why couldn't she be killed by anyone but him? She whimpered louder and pulled herself tighter, dropping her head into her lap to hide from the room.

If Bulma had in fact looked about the room instead, she would have noticed the tightening fists of the giant Recoome. She would have noticed the way his teeth were gnashing together and eyes painted over with a glowing look that spelled death. She would have also then noticed how he eventually snapped, like a rubber band with too much strain, and flung himself at Jeice, knocking them both into the opposite wall with a loud crash.

Jumping from the loud banging, Bulma peeked up though her bloody hands and saw the hulking giant, the gentle big fool that had rescued her, restraining her executioner by the throat against the wall.

"Run."

It was barely a growl, it was uttered too low in his throat, so veiled with anger and seething rage that she laid paralyzed on the spot.

"Run!" Recoome bellowed louder, enough to scare her into jumping up and making a dash for the door. She barely caught the sight of Recoome smashing into anyone who tried to stop her like a steam truck, knocking over his comrades like dominoes. Her last view of the room was of Freeza screaming at them to stop her, and Recoome ripping the head off of Guldo in a maddening spray of green spurting blood.

In a heartbeat, Bulma was barreling down the corridors as fast as she could. Her mind didn't even catch up to think where she was going, the only thought in her head was to run and don't look behind her and don't stop. Bulma once again caught sight of the gleam of the Dragonballs, and she skidded to a stop. She ran into the room and gaped at the five balls. There was no way she could possibly carry them all, but it seemed like a crying shame to leave them all here, right in front of her face, taunting her. In the distance, Bulma could hear the smashing and yelling of the fight just down the hall. She didn't have much time. Biting her lip, Bulma grabbed just one and made a dash out the hall and into the door that would lead her to freedom. She banged onto it, for it wouldn't open on her command.

Bulma cried out in desperation and pounded on the metal, screaming and crying tears of hopeless desperation.

"Oh, come on!" It was gasped out and pitiful, wrenching from her throat in frantic and distressing pile of broken words. She gave up on the door and ran to one of the windows. The glass was thick; no way could she smash it. Bulma looked at the Dragonball in her hands and then held it up over head, and smashed it against the glass.

It didn't smash open but, oh, what luck, there was a crack! The fighting down the hall was getting louder and more terrifying. With a face covered with blood and tears, Bulma held up the Dragonball once again and brought it down onto the window. More spider web cracks began to bloom and with each smash, more hope and desperation grew inside of her. With one final smash the window caved in, showering the ground with thousands of bits of broken glass. There was a loud explosion and more angry voices. Too hysterical to concentrate, Bulma lifted herself up on the window, screaming out in pain when she grasped the ledge that still had a large piece of glass on it. It ripped through her glove and wedged into her skin, cutting clean through like butter, and staying there.

She ignored it and tumbled ungracefully out of the window, going into a roll as she landed on the ground below. Whimpering and crawling through the fragments of glass, some of which tore into her suit and scraped her legs and knees, Bulma grabbed the Dragonball and then reached into her breastplate. Bulma pulled out her capsules and quickly found the one she was looking for. The angry voices grew louder and she could hear footsteps in the hallway. Bulma opened up her hover bike and tore the headband aggressively from her head. She quickly tied it around the gas pedal and then searched for the keys. The footsteps were loudly approaching.

Bulma's hysterical tears flowed as she tried to find the keys. Where had she put them? Then it struck her. They were in the pocket of her skirt, which was lying forgotten on the cold tiled floor in the ship. Bulma gave a wail of utter dread and terror and tears came out harder. She had all but given up as she fumbled towards her bike. She had to calm down and use her scientific mind. The voices were almost discernable in the distance and quickly approaching her direction.

With a face covered with blood and tears, sweat and snot, Bulma fiddled with the wires under her bike's steering wheel. She had hotwired cars hundreds of times in her youth and yet because of her hysterics and hasty movements, she kept shaking and couldn't get it to work. Another loud explosion rocked the earth just as Bulma finally succeeded. The engine purred with life and immediately took off into the sky, leaving a smoking trail. Bulma squealed happily and then picked up the Dragonball, taking off in the other direction on foot.

Bulma watched as Freeza's men bound out of the ship and, at sighting the vehicle in the sky, took off immediately after it. With her bike able to reach speeds as high as 250 miles per hour, she knew it would be a while until they could catch it. Shakily Bulma limped as fast as she could away from the cursed ship, breathing in gasps of air her body so desperately needed. She got about one hundred yards before her adrenalin ran out and the heavy lose of blood finally got to her. She stumbled and tripped over a jutted rock and fell boneless into the water with a splash. She could only stare, her reflexes shot and dead, as the Dragonball slipped from her grasp and sunk into the depth of the lake. And then everything slithered into darkness.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. It's been hard finding time to write, but like I promised, I am still writing! I must be honest and say I am not really happy with the chapter. I didn't have much time to really edit it, so if there are a lot of errors, I apologize. I also felt like my love of horror movies really showed through in this one. Yeah, poor Bulma, I don't know why I torture her so much. Thanks to all still sticking with this story, you all are great.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The sensation of floating always was an odd feeling. You balanced on nothing yet were weightless, suspending. You hung over the grounds of death, its cold clutches taunting you as you stared from hovering above it. It was cold and dark. There were no sounds. The loneliness and isolation curled around her like a safety net, keeping her from falling into the darkness that made her feel so small and insignificant. She could feel herself swaying back and forth, floating and drifting to nowhere, and numbness. The terrible numbness was like a shackle to her, keeping her from escaping to the land of reality.

This was what Bulma felt like as she drifted across the lake. She felt too weak to lift her head, to open her eyes. Instead she floated in a state of semi-conscious for what seemed like hours. It wasn't until she felt a brush of something slimy and thin against her did she feel partial to certainty. It took her a while to familiarize herself with the sensations of touch. For so long it seemed she had been floating there, feeling nothing but the cold. That simple touch acted like an alarm, slowly letting her mind focus on reality and awaken. Her eyes timidly cracked open, nearly crusted shut and was almost blinded by the power of the sun glaring down at her.

Bulma moaned slightly, though it hadn't sounded a note above a whisper. Her throat was dry and scratchy and it hurt to swallow. She tried turning her head, but her face immediately burst into pain that had been so blissfully numb before. Bulma wanted to cry out, but could not make a sound in her voice without it hurting. Stuck to her cheek was a long blade of grass. During her unconsciousness she must have floated towards a bank, finally hitting land.

Everything ached. As soon as sight, sound and feeling returned to her Bulma wished all at once it would vanish again. Her muscles felt strained and sore, pulled taunt and then twisted unmercifully. Her head felt heavy and pounded away with each pulse, like a tribal drum. Her face, oh her face felt as if it were on fire. As if someone had taken a hot poker and jammed in between her nose and slashed across her face a hundred times.

It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, and it hurt to even think, but she couldn't stay floating in the lake forever. As it was she was getting cold and her lips trembled. She didn't need to get sick as well. A garbled gasp left her lips as she lifted her arms, wanting to scream at how badly it all ached to even move. Her hands lashed out and grabbed fists full of wet grass, tugging to get herself onto dry land.

It took her a full thirty minutes to succeed. Bulma collapsed onto the grass with a whimper, her legs still dangling in the lake. She pulled them out and collapsed onto her back, her breath came out heavy and hard. She coughed, spewing out water and muck and blood. Her mouth felt dirty. Her head continued to pound away, and all at once her body seemed to scream at her.

It wouldn't be for a few hours that she would wake up again and wonder how she got out of the water, or how she wound up in a warm bed, dry and naked.

When Bulma opened her eyes for the second time, the first thing she was struck with was confusion. She couldn't identify her surroundings, and for a fleeting moment was terrified that she had died. Was this blissful state of calm and peace the beckoning of heaven, or maybe just the result of self-imposed delirium? Bulma pulled off her coverings, not caring that she was pale and exposed underneath and tried to make it to the doorway, hopefully, possibly, to get some answers. She almost made it to the door when she caught sight of her image in a mirror. Bulma walked up to the glass and touched its surface, marveling at the mess she looked within. Her hair was frazzled and messy, her eyes looked sunken in and tired, but that wasn't what she noticed. No, what she noticed was the absence of the gaping wounds Freeza had given her not hours before.

Her hand rose to run over her skin lightly, afraid that touching too hard would anger the wounds again. Her fingertips were met with cool skin. No evidence that the skin was cut open at all, not even a scar.

"I am glad you have awakened."

The voice startled her and Bulma jumped in fright and turned around at her intruder. Staring at her with a big smile was a Namekian native. He was tall and green and wore a tunic of brown cloth. He looked kind and safe and Bulma felt an unbelievable amount of relief when she saw him instead of a foot soldier in Freeza's armor or an angel of death coming to tell her that she had perished in a smelling pond where her body would rot and never be discovered.

"How did I get here?" Bulma was surprised at the sound of her voice. It was still scratchy and rough. Her hand rose to touch at her throat.

The Namekian chuckled. "Do not worry, your voice will return to you soon. We cannot heal but so much. As for where you are, you are in our village. Tennor had found on the river bank and brought you here. I am Alto."

Realization dawned in her eyes. "You saved my life…and healed my wounds…"

Alto continued to smile. "Yes, you have the Elder to thank for that. Without his healing touch you would never have survived."

"Thank you." Bulma rasped out, her eyes sinking to stare at the floor.

Alto nodded his head. "When you are fully rested, Our Elder would like to speak with you. Your clothing is hanging on the chair. Good day."

Bulma watched him turn and leave, only then noticing that she had been standing there completely naked. She eeped out in shock and dashed across the room, quickly throwing on the suit and armor. As she slipped on the elastic suit, she noticed that the holes were patched up in them. Her knees had ground against the glass and the suit had slashed open. Now there lied thin seams where the tears had been sewn together.

After pulling on the boots, Bulma made it for the exit. She opened the door and was immediately met with a field of grass. There were Nameks all around, mending the fields and sitting around. Children were playing in the open field, laughing and smiling. These creatures were always so peaceful, and something tugged in her at the thought of what Freeza was doing to them. They didn't deserve this. No one had any right to intrude on their planet, not even her; because of their foolishness these poor creatures were suffering.

As she looked about with her mournful thoughts, Bulma was approached by a group of Namekians. One she recognized as Alto (she was a bit surprised she could identify distinct features between the Nameks, usually humans did not pick up on non-human features enough to tell them apart. She stored this information away for later). There was another that looked similar to Alto and an elderly looking Namekian. It was interesting to see an aged Namek, how they seemed to age similarly to humans. They both formed wrinkles and age spots, both looked brittle and worn. The elder was hunched slightly and supported his weight with a forked cane. He greeted her with a smile.

"Welcome, Daughter of Earth."

The title startled her for a moment. A faint blush touched her cheeks and she smiled slightly, flattered at the prestigious ring to it.

"I am Lute, the Elder of this village."

The aged and already hunched body of the Elder sunk into a small bow. Bulma copied and gave a short curtsy of her own.

"You have already been introduced to Alto, and this is my dear child Tennor. He is the one who had rescued from the depths of Hersia, our Sea."

Bulma's widened blue eyes immediately locked with the figure standing next to Alto. He smiled warmly at her.

"Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much I am in debt to you." Bulma gushed, controlling herself when she felt the instinct to jump into the giant green man's arms.

Tennor just chuckled, a harmonious sound, and shrugged it off.

"Nonsense. We could never let an Innocent die, not if we could help it."

Bulma's smile faltered slightly. "But…how do you know I am an innocent? I am wearing the uniform of the enemy…and how did you know I was from Earth?"

The Elder looked at her and turned around. "Come, walk with us."

Bulma hesitated for only a minute before complying. She walked in step with the Namek Elder and the two brothers.

"You have an adventure seeking soul, Daughter of Earth."

Bulma stared at the Elder and waited for an explanation. He witnessed her confused look and eyed her slightly.

"Forgive me child, but I have seen your soul. When you were brought to me I had to ensure you would do my brethren no harm so I had to look into your mind. I saw many things. You told the Ones Tainted by the Evils of this Realm of our magical orbs and brought them to disturb our home. You came here with your friends to use our Dragonballs without our permission, and you desire to grant a wish that goes against nature itself."

Bulma paled visibly at the Elder's words, more and more put off by every word he spoke. The Elder looked at her and gave a small dry chuckle.

"But your heart is in the right place so I cannot hold you liable for these misgivings even if I wanted to. Please, do not be afraid of us."

"If you read into my mind, then you know we have no choice but to make our wish," Bulma muttered in a small, humbled voice. "And I am terribly sorry for everything that has happened to you. Please believe me when I say it was never our intention."

"Trust me child, I know. Your heart and mind are in good favor, but none are above the corruptions of this realm, remember this." The Elder said. "And I know that in order to protect both your world and mine what must be done. We must summon Our Eternal Dragon and beg for his help so that the Wicked Ones do not triumph. We had known of their coming thanks to our Heavenly Father Elder Guru. With his guidance we were able to hide the Balls in advance, but now I pray that that isn't enough anymore."

"Then you must help me," Bulma pleaded. She stopped walking and turned to the Elder, her eyes wide with hope.

"I am afraid, Daughter of Earth." The Elder whispered out.

"Our warriors have perished and our Elder Lute is growing old. We have no fighters left to defend ourselves," Alto spoke up. "Our numbers are dwindling, even as we speak. We can feel their deaths like a physical blow."

"There is only one that can save us, Child of Adam. He who bathes in the moonlight's pale glow and wears a mane of golden fur. Father Guru has foreseen it. The Legendary One."

"'He who bathes in the moonlight?'" Bulma repeated. "What does that mean?"

The Elder smiled at her. "We are not certain; his face is not yet written in the stars. Fate has not yet been written for him, there are two paths paved, he must take one and forfeit the other. However, you hold the power to our Salvation."

"_Me?"_ Bulma looked incredulously.

"Yes. Nurture him, guide him, and he may save us. Shed light upon his soul and bring about his rebirth. Do this, and he shall destroy the Empire of the Wicked."

"Stop talking in riddles!" Bulma fumed, angry at the Elder, at his difficulty to simply explain to her, for throwing her into this apocalyptical decision, angry at herself for not catching on fast enough.

"What does this all mean, and how do I know this person?"

"_By Moonlight's glow across the Land,_

_By darkest Hour close at hand._

_By golden mane produced asunder, _

_Our will, our future, our salvation, our blunder."_

The rhyme shot her mouth closed and she gazed at the Elder in surprise. Slowly she nodded her head and remained quiet, thinking over the words carefully.

"You will know when the time is right, Daughter of Earth." The Elder gave a short rasp of a cough and slowly turned back towards the village. "Do not be afraid of him, as you once were."

Immediately Bulma's head shot up. Afraid. Don't fear him. A sudden chill ran up her spine as her thoughts immediately turned to the last person she wanted to think about. The Elder, he couldn't possibly think…it couldn't possibly be…

"Vegeta…"

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 19

Vegeta paused mid-flight and sneezed. It echoed into the air like a thunderclap and he was left dazed for a moment wondering what had happened. He growled at the thought; someone must have been talking about him. He continued his flight without hindrance, surveying the Namekian grounds under him. He would have to give the earthling some credit before he got rid of her; for a weak, fragile human she was smart, genius even. He recalled her muttering something about inventing things; he really wasn't listening to her. As much as he hated admitting it, she had escaped him using pure wits, something most people couldn't boast about. Vegeta was never one to let down his guard and because he misjudged her intelligence, she saw his weakness and grasped it, tearing it open like a fatal wound. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

He had smelled the smoke when he landed by their dwelling. There was a battle, or at the very least, Ki slung around. If there was a serious fight he would have sensed the spike in power with his new found abilities. If there was one thing he was thankful for the earthlings for it was the knowledge of Ki sensory without the aid of a scouter. Vegeta only hoped that the ones who had found her hadn't killed her, or worse, before he got to her that is. He had a sneaky suspicion it was none other than the Ginyu Force that had found her. The thought sent an icy chill down his back. For some reason, the thought disturbed him. He knew of Ginyu and his men, the way they treated women like toys and rags. He had seen what was left of the women when they were done, if they survived. Some of them were mangled beyond belief, left with just enough energy to maintain life and nothing more. Others never spoke again, and wandered the halls of the ship with vacant stares and haunted eyes. Yet, for whatever reason, no matter how much he hated the blue human at that moment, he couldn't bear the thought of her breaking like the rest of them.

Yes she defied him, brought him trouble, but there was a fire in her. It was odd to see a woman with such a thing. Under Freeza's rule women were submissive and subsidiary. There hadn't been a female soldier in Freeza's rule since the destruction of his planet. The earth woman had feared him, but for some reason she had grown at ease around him and her eyes lit up with something other than fear when he glared at her. She grew defiant and bold. A dangerous combination, one he didn't tolerate. At the same time he couldn't help the way her look sparked something in him as searing as hot iron on his skin. It was alarming, and he would be foolish to disregard what he knew as lust. Only the weak and imprudent ignored the obvious and lied to themselves. He was neither. He faced them off at full speed and conquered them. This was no different. After he retrieved his Dragonballs and destroyed Freeza, he would deal with the woman in whatever way he saw fit. He knew it wouldn't be hard. He recognized the look in her eyes when he kissed her. She desired him. He would be able to break her will and submit to him. She was his. He would _own _her.

For now he just had to locate her, which was difficult. Her Ki was tiny, and with his new found abilities still fairly new to him, it became obscenely difficult. He only hoped he wasn't too late. All at once a powerful Ki slammed into his radar with such intensity it nearly knocked him out of the sky. He turned to stare towards the east, where he felt the power spike. Vegeta instantly recognized it as Recoome, having fought him and witnessed his power first hand. It was…over-powering, and fighting a group of four other Ki's. Vegeta's eyes widened when he recognized them as the remaining Ginyu members. What was this? A revolt? Was the giant oaf actually fighting back? He knew the hulking colossus was dense, but he didn't believe he was that stupid. A smirk curled on Vegeta's lips and a laugh soon emitted from his throat. Maybe luck finally will turn in his favor and the Ginyu members will kill each other off for him. Not that he needed it now. After fighting Recoome, he could feel his strength double and he itched to try out his newfound strength.

He continued his bout of laughter until he felt the powers wane and finally drop. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out which ones survived and which ones had perished. Not caring which ones had bit the bullet, Vegeta began flying once again, his direction unidentified. He would find her; it was only a matter of time. This game of cat and mouse would soon come to an end. The Dragonballs would be his.

Bulma stared blankly at the backs of the Nameks as they spoke to each other. Her mind was still trying to grasp what was asked of her, but she kept finding dead ends and holes in the concept. Nothing was making any clear sense and the Namekian Elder was giving her no comfort either. He offered her no more information that what she was already given, with no elaborations. He seemed to be just as clueless as she was. This frustrated her beyond comprehension.

"So a man who wants to gain immortality and control the universe is the only hope of salvation?" Bulma rose, exasperated.

"That is not what I had said," The Elder sighed, shaking his withered green head. "I made no mention of anyone wanting power. I only mentioned of a Legendary Warrior."

"Yes, who happens to be someone I have feared and unbelievably strong." Bulma rolled her eyes.

"You have feared many in your life, Daughter of Earth." The Elder reminded her and Bulma looked away, pointedly ignoring that stab to her ego.

"So are you saying it's not Vegeta?" Bulma huffed, still avoiding the Elder and crossing her arms.

"No I am not," He spoke. "I do not know of this man other than what your eyes have shown me. He has the potential however for great things."

"He's evil and power hungry." Bulma sniffed, refusing to believe. "How could he be destined for great things?"

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." The Elder recited.

Bulma turned to look at the aged Elder and sighed. "Fine, how can I find this hero anyway? And how will I know that it's him?"

"You will know, Bulma of Earth. But you must make haste; our time is slowly running out."

The woman in question sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay I'll do it. Though, it will probably get me killed." She grumbled and began to walk away.

"Before we part," The Elder stopped her and Bulma looked behind her curiously. Her eyes widened as a large orange ball stood glimmering before her. She could see her distorted reflection in the alien stone. It was the Dragonball, the one she tried unsuccessfully to steal from Freeza.

"How did you—"

"Our people are very gifted," The Elder smiled, "And we can sense where are magic is present. Once the ball was out of the hands of the Tainted One, we only needed to call of it."

"You mean you can summon the balls at will?" Bulma stared amazed, taking the Dragonball in her hands.

"Not necessarily," The Namek frowned. "We are held by limitations and by laws. We cannot call upon the Mystical Orbs if they are in the possession of someone else, furthermore, they cannot be called with ill intentions. It is terribly confusing my dear, and nothing you should concern yourself with. Take it with you on your journey and bring forth the prophecy our Great Elder foresaw."

Bulma nodded her head and turned to leave once more, when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Nameks' hands were clawed and their nails were black. It was rather intimidating to look upon. As soon as she felt the pressure on her shoulder Bulma immediately felt something wrong. She felt like her body was suddenly split apart and she was observing the things around her from a different view point. She was beside herself as visions and voices began filling her head. Her mind felt twisted and pulled, like someone had raked their claws over her mind and forcefully pushed things inside. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but Bulma would never forget that feeling for as long as she lived.

The hand left her shoulder and Bulma stood there in a daze, feeling suddenly light headed and collapsed onto her knees, holding her head as the world spun around her. She associated it to the feeling you get when you stand up too suddenly and became dizzy.

"Wh..what…?" Bulma called out helplessly. Her mind felt invaded and strange, something almost different, but the same.

"A gift." The Elder's voice rang over the confusion like a light tower to a ship lost in fog. "Our tongue will become useful to you along your journey. You shall need it."

"I…Thank you." The dizziness passed and Bulma was able to stumble her way back onto her feet. It was only then did she catch what she had spoken, and it was decidedly _not_ her native language. She then realized that she had just had an entire conversation with the Namek Elder in the Namekian tongue without even realizing it. Bulma blinked.

Elder Lute smiled knowingly and wished her farewell, the other Nameks that had gathered around all bidding her friendly waves and smiles as well. Bulma nodded her head and turned to her capsules, pulling out another vehicle. It was her last one. Placing the newest Dragonball in the storage compartment, Bulma revved up and blasted off. She could find Vegeta; she had just the tool for it. Bulma pulled out one of her capsules and read the label she gave it.

'Scouter Model Z'

Her only problem was convincing Vegeta not to kill her.

A hard thing to accomplish, Bulma realized. As much as she thought and rethought about the upcoming confrontation, all her ideas always ended with her death. Bulma had tricked him, drugged him and then stolen the objects of his mortal aspiration. Vegeta was a murderer; he committed acts of genocide for the purpose of wealth and power. Convincing that someone, who you had so intimately deceived was next to impossible. Even her genius mind was having a hard time figuring it all out.

The only possible way she could conceive was to strike a bargain. She had learned that the Dragonballs can grant three wishes. Maybe it was possible for her to negotiate some form of agreement. The only problem was how to convince him not to kill her the moment he set eyes on her. It was a long shot, but Bulma was fairly sure of her abilities. Her father was a diplomat in some matters, and she had learned from him. She could only hope that Vegeta would listen to her.

Her scouter blipped with the varying signals across the globe. Having enhanced it, she was able to pick up every form of life on the planet no matter how insignificant the energy may be; furthermore, she was also able to safely register power readings at high levels without fear of malfunction. The first time the device nearly look off her eye when it exploded was all the incentive she needed to improve the model.

Freeza's power stood out the most from the bunch, like a lighthouse off the shore of an empty dark ocean. The reading was so overwhelmingly powerful, Bulma physically felt the effects. The astronomical number reached the million digits, and she recalled catching her friends still in the hundreds place. It was plain fearful.

Among them she had spotted Vegeta's. She knew it to be his because it was singular. Freeza was obviously the most powerful, but his men were always clustered together in groups of two's and more. Vegeta's power however was separate from the rest. His power was amazing, but sadly she realized it was not even a quarter of the number Freeza's power level was. Her heart felt heavy at the realization. She needed Vegeta to be strong enough to help fight Freeza, but now her spirit was crushed slightly. The Dragonballs really were her only hope.

Bulma came to a stop in front of the familiar characteristics of the cave she had been previously dwelling in. She knew without assessment that Vegeta had been there and probably ransacked the place. She ignored the mess she saw about, ignored the hot tub that seemed to call out to her, and stood her ground. Dropping the Dragonball by her feet, Bulma went to shed the uniform. First came off the hard plated armor. It fell heavy to the dirt below. Her gloves were removed next, followed by her boots. Bulma was left standing there in nothing more than the skin hugging material of her battledress. She read the readouts on the scouter, and Vegeta's energy was close by. She knew she could draw him in.

She went about her emergency capsules and found the first aid kit. Opening it her blue, determined eyes found purchase of the small flare. Steeling herself for what she was about to do, Bulma pulled it out and set it off. It hissed as it soared up into the sky, a skirting trail of smoke trailing behind. Bulma shut her eyes tight as she heard the loud explosion it made upon dispersing in the clouds. The seconds to follow were the longest moments of her life. Her heart was drumming faster with each breath she took. These could be the very last breaths she would ever take again. Vegeta wanted her dead, she knew this. She was risking everything just for the sake of what the Elder Namek had told her.

Bulma was not a religious person by any means, but as she tightened her eyes and bit her lips, her ears tracked the steady bleeping of her scouter as his energy began to approach, she did one thing she hadn't done since she was five.

Bulma prayed.


	20. Chapter 20

Everything Went Wrong

Chapter 20

Bulma's heart was pounding. It sounded like a tribal drum in her ears, thumping in time with each bleep the scouter made. She couldn't find her voice to speak, though she didn't need it at the moment, and couldn't find her legs to walk, though she hadn't anywhere to go. She felt paralyzed in the moment, awe struck with an exquisite mixture of fear and exhilaration. Her heart was caught in her throat, and she knew not what to do but stand there looking pitifully weak and staring into the sky for any signs of Vegeta.

At that moment a small, almost indiscernible speck appeared in the sky. Her heart hammered faster at the implication. This was the moment. This was when she could possibly be taking her last breath. Yet, her life did not flash before her eyes as it once had. She did not feel the sickening slug of dread and terror in her skin, or the sense of foreboding she once felt. In its place wormed a devil of a sensation; a feeling quite similar to excitement and craving. Bulma was overcome with a sudden burst of lust. Instead of remembering the dangerous monster in the Saiyan, she remembered his sculpted body and firm lips. Her mind painfully replayed the hot and wet kiss she had more than willingly provided the dangerous Saiyan. She would have lied if she said she had not been affected by his presence. Bulma had always had a problem with lusting after the bad men, and Vegeta was no different. He was as dangerous as they could get. He was fire; you were drawn to it, and get burned when you venture too close.

The anxiousness of this meaning, the plain and simple idea that he could kill her instantly, that he _would_ without question do it, made her fear grow, and with that, her heat. He was capable of doing extraordinary things, for good and for evil, and the possibilities made her warm and wet all over. Lust was a powerful thing, and one tool Bulma was very often a victim of. He could break her bones and smile about it, he could blast an entire planet with nothing more than a raise of his hand and by god, it excited her.

It excited her not because he was doing evil, it was simply the fact that he _could._ Plain and simple. His strength excited her. His danger aroused her. Her Scouter began to beep incessantly as the small speck that was Vegeta became closer. She could now identify his body shape. She could easily spot his head and his broad shoulders, his thick legs and even the silhouette of his wild hair.

In one solitary breath he touched down before her. Bulma held the air in her lungs in that instant, fear and anxiousness bubbling inside of her, choking her. He stared at her, not uttering a word. His powerful gaze locked on her, nailing her in an instant, like an insect on a pin. He did not blink, and his eyes cast a look of such utter fierceness, she couldn't look away. His gaze commanded her without words, and it terrified her. It terrified her so bad, she yearned for it. Her legs shook as she stood and she clamped them tightly together, repressing a gnarling moan from escaping her as she found wetness between her thighs.

How had it come to this? She had avoided thoughts of him since she had left, yet the moment he merely looks at her, she suddenly turned to whimpers. His stare was so commanding of her, it was so powerful and impenetrable, she felt any longer and she would surely collapse onto the ground in a pitiful pile of drooping flesh and brittle bones. His body was tightly coiled like a spring, and she could look at all of his well toned muscles and know they were all tense, as if ready to spring; spring on her, at her, _in her. _

That last thought was only a last dying dream of hers. She knew that look was only of unbridled hate; she had tricked him and stolen from him the Dragonballs. He was after her blood.

Yet he did not speak. They just stood there, staring at each other with a tight, suffocating intensity. Bulma wanted to be swallowed up into the ground. She would have done anything to escape right now, yet couldn't bring herself to even twitch a finger, she didn't want to. _Didn't want to._

Until finally Bulma, shaking and terrified, broke the silence with a shaky irresolute voice, "The Dragonballs, I know how to get them from Freeza."

His body shifted and tensed more, if it were possible. He regarded her with a stiff, hateful leer that caused her to shiver in fear.

"You expect me to trust you, witch?" His voice was still deep and gravely, and because of the stark and sharp thrust of anger behind his words, they were deeper and came out harsh and biting. Her body continued to tremble. His voice hadn't changed since she last saw him, and she was loathing admitting it still affected her so. "You are a foolish species; having tricked me and then purposely calling me out here, knowing that I can kill you, that I _will. _Tell me something, do you have a death wish?" His words were venom. Acidic and deadly, filled with such utter hatred and anger that it felt like a physical blow.

Still, she found her voice to speak, "We need your help."

Vegeta scoffed, his lip curled and he glared at her up and down with disgust. In the next minute he was standing in front of her, his powerful compact form nearly burning her with his proximity. His hand, gloved in a dirty white alien fabric, found purchase once again around her neck. In one fleeting thought, she noticed how perfectly it fit there.

"Vile wretch," He hissed. Bulma could feel his hot breath against her face. "You are not my ally. Learn this. You never were. You stole something very important from me and now I am getting them back. I will never help you or your disgusting kind."

His words brought forth moisture in her eyes and they clouded her vision, but no tears dared to fall. She could just make out the heart shape of his face and the outline of his unruly mane. The pressure on her neck was increasing and she knew soon she would die. This was her only chance.

"Dragonballs…" She barely croaked, using her newly gained knowledge of the Nameks. "They grant three wishes, we can split them. You can have your wish… I can lead you to them…"

"And you expect me to believe you after what you have done?" Vegeta's voice was like a razor against her flesh, easily cutting through and making her bleed.

Bulma tried to keep her voice from breaking. "I had no choice. You would have done the same in my position. I did what I had to in order to survive. I…I saw Freeza, I know what kind of monster he is…we cannot defeat him on our own. We need your help."

These must have been the magic words because his grip slackened only slightly, unconsciously probably. He burned her with his eyes. Mentioning Freeza didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Pitiful," He uttered, growling. "Such a pitiful mindset you earthlings have. I have no need for your aid other than to retrieve the Dragonballs for me. You then become disposable."

"Then you agree… you cannot kill me now."

Vegeta's jaw tightened as he realized the truth of her words. To kill her now means to lose the Dragonballs.

"Not now, no. But I shall, don't forget this."

"Then I have only one favor to ask in return," Bulma pleaded.

"You are in no position to be bargaining, woman," Vegeta growled.

"You will not take vengeance against Earth," Bulma ignored his threat and continued, "My planet shall be spared from your wrath for as long as you live. Promise me this by your honor and my life is yours. Without my help you cannot defeat Freeza. You know this, and without your help we are doomed as well. I promise to give you the Dragonballs and help you defeat Freeza."

Vegeta was silent for a while after that, looking at her contemplatively. She knew he didn't trust her and didn't blame him, yet he had no other options. She was the only one (to his knowledge) who knew the locations of the Dragonballs. He was nowhere near strong enough to defeat Freeza and Vegeta was aware of this. If he didn't agree to her now he would forfeit his life. She was forfeiting the lives of so many others on this one solitary request as well, for if he refused, she would not help him, he would kill her, and all would be lost.

Vegeta was an arrogant person and he would not give up on his dream so easily. She knew his own stubborn will to destroy Freeza would be enough to force him to agree. He was aware he was being forced into this agreement and saw the anger in his eyes because of it. He regarded her icily and leaned in forward, tightening the hold on her neck measurably.

"And what if I were to say that I want something more than just the Dragonballs, hm?" That smirk reappeared on his face and Bulma felt her insides shiver once again. Her heart dropped and then rose into her throat before fitting into the groove of her breasts. Heat. Scorching heat.

He seemed to have noticed her sudden temperature change and the flush of her face and his smirk grew into a dangerous grin.

"I…I said…my life would be yours," As she uttered it, a breath above a whisper, she silently apologized to all of her friends. She knew what was being asked of her.

She felt the sudden heat on her hip as one of his palms came to rest there. His hand was heavy and warm and sent ripples of heat through her. In one moment she was caught marveling at the amount of heat his body gave off and in the next she found herself forcefully shoved against his body, hard.

Bulma made a gasping noise as her breath left her from the sudden dramatic heave. His mouth came crashing down on hers with such brutal intensity she knew her lips would bruise. His hand still clamped around her neck in a possessive manner, forcing her into the kiss in case she tried to break free.

But she didn't. Bulma fell into the kiss with no resolve or shame. Her hands fisted his thick hard armored plate with no hesitance or uncertainty. Part of her mind yearned for this, loved the fact that he was forcing this upon her. This way, she wouldn't feel guilty about it, for she couldn't have stopped him if she tried. Instead she enjoyed the guilty pleasure she received from his violating tongue. She moaned when his hands gripped her hips, thighs, and breasts, and she pushed into his body as he pulled her and grinded her against his pelvis.

She was intoxicated again by his possessiveness. His rough touches and sharp teeth made her soon forget where she was and what she was doing, she only knew the then and now, and right now Bulma felt nothing but blinding hot passion and urgency to… well…

Fuck. Bulma wanted it; she wanted it like never before. For a long time Bulma had yearned love, she had wanted to make love to a man, she wanted to cuddle and caress, she wanted sensuality and tenderness, gentle kisses and sweet nothings. But with Vegeta there was only a driving animalistic need to fuck. Wild and heated, hard and fast. This kind of feeling electrified her and made her body come alive. She felt herself through the sleek material of her space suit. Wet. Needing.

Bulma had never felt so dirty in her life. It was enthralling, amazing. She wanted to memorize this feeling for the rest of her life, to relive it, and replay it again and again. This urgency, this, building inside of her was getting painful. She had never wanted something so bad in her life. And god, he was hardly touching her. Their clothing was still on. Bulma had never felt like this with Yamcha before. He was sweet and innocent, his touches gentle, yet timid.

Vegeta was rough and demanding. He was powerful and forced her to feel nothing but the pure carnal urge to ravage him. She wanted him to ravage her until she was raw, until her voice was cracked and sore from screaming, her flesh bruised and scratched, and until the ground split under them and swallowed them whole.

And then it was all gone. Bulma stared for a minute, unaware that she could see even though her eyes were open. When she finally took in her surroundings, she was aware of Vegeta before her, smirking dangerously at her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kick him and holler and spit at him for stopping. He was affected by her. She could feel it, even though he refused to attack her again. He was hard and long against her and she craved him. She was practically screaming for him to take her and he just stood there grinning, and that's when it finally occurred to her.

He had played her. Bulma, with all of her infinite intelligence, had just been played like a finely tuned violin. All at once, her lust turned to rage and she began kicking and hissing. She screamed and beat on his chest, violent and angry at just being made a joke out of.

He had known all along. Vegeta had known her feelings. He had felt her lust for him and strung her along. He wanted to see her bow to him. And she did, she surrendered to him without as much as a fight. She hated it. She hated him. She hated him. She hated him!

He easily stopped her assault by grabbing her wrists in both of his mighty hands. "Pitiful Earthling," He crooned out with a sickening mock of a tender voice, "Is there no bone in your back? Is there no shame you won't take? How easily you give in to your adversary. Do you offer your body so willingly to all your enemies? Tell me, do you always grow so hot at the idea of fucking the ones who killed your friends, or am I just the lucky one?"

His hurtful words were like a dagger into her heart. She screamed and cried out, face growing red in her fury. No tears came, only a pent up anger and hate and stress that had built up since the trip had begun. Bulma tried fruitlessly to get out of his touch, the touch moments ago she had so willingly let scorch her body. It now made her sick. She wanted to run, run away and never return.

"Now listen to me," Vegeta's voice lost all hints of humor now. "You will bring to me the remaining Dragonballs and I will consider your silly little request."

Bulma's struggling came to a complete stop at his words, half not believing he had agreed to them. "You will?" She asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

Vegeta snorted, "Of course. What real purpose would I have with your little rock of a planet anyway? Once I gain the power I need, you humans will be of no consequence to me."

Bulma bit her lip and nodded her head obediently. She didn't need to upset him any further. The world was at stake, and not for the first time this trip began, she bit back her tongue and swallowed her pride. This was it. She felt his warm hands on her, only then realizing they were holding her in a most unprofessional manner. He gave her backside a hard squeeze before pushing her away from him. Bulma landed with a cry on the dirt, glaring up at the Saiyan who was already with his back to her, approaching the Dragonball. He leaned over and picked it up, thumbing the alien glass affectionately.

"You had said you knew how to get the other Dragonballs? The ones Freeza has?" He asked, never taking his eyes off the reflections the Dragonball offered him.

Bulma huffed angrily and sat up, dusting off her backside. The dark material of her space suit soaked up the dust and left a nice notable powder mark.

"Yes I can. That Dragonball is one of Freeza's."

Bulma took some satisfaction in seeing Vegeta bristle at the comment. His sharp eyes turned to glare at her.

"You managed to steal a ball from right under Freeza's nose?" Vegeta replied skeptically.

Bulma would usually take this opportunity to gloat about how great she was, but oddly found no need to do that. The conversation just left a bad taste in her mouth.

Instead, she simply answered with, "Yes, I have. He underestimated me and I infiltrated him. I made it out alive, and _mostly _unscathed with one. I didn't have time or the man power to get the rest."

Vegeta's eyes were roving over her again, sizing her up, no doubt trying to figure out how someone so pathetically weak in comparison was able to commit such a feat. He shouldn't have been so surprised; after all, she had done the same thing to him.

"You are just so full of surprises, aren't you, little one?"

The endearment did not go unnoticed and Bulma blanched, not expecting his remark. Caught off guard she lost her train of thought and stared stupidly at him. He gave no further clarification and he once again shifted into that cold as stone expression.

"Take me to the remaining Dragonballs, now." His voice was stern and left no room for argument, not that Bulma would have anyway. She was still glad she had survived. She knew he would have to consent with her. Half of the confrontation to guarantee her survival was bargaining, the other half was seduction, a game she was _very _well informed in. That was her reason for removing the armor. It was terribly unflattering, but the skin tight suit underneath was an entirely different story.

"And by the way," She unexpectedly heard his voice, "Put that armor back on. You are already pitifully weak, and while I doubt you'd survive anyhow if you were to actually fight, at least the armor will provide some capacity to keep you somewhat intact."

Bulma glanced fleetingly at Vegeta who stood with his back facing her and the Dragonball protectively under his right arm. She was almost timid with the idea of turning her back to him as she dressed in her armor, the paranoid side of her afraid that getting him out of her sight would be enough to make him turn on her and kill her when her back was turned. He didn't however. When Bulma turned back around, wearing the atrocious battle armor, he was still standing there, staring away from her like an unflinching stone. Bulma gulped dryly and approached.

He turned abruptly without making a sound, somehow knowing that she was approaching, and grabbed her waist, pulling her to his side and glaring into her eyes menacingly. "You better not trick me again, girl, or I won't be so inclined to spare your life again or your planet's."

The threat she knew was not idle. Bulma nodded her head and clicked on the Dragon radar she programmed into her scouter. Kuririn and Gohan had the Dragonballs. She could only imagine their surprise when they approached them. They would have no choice but to concede. Biting her lip Bulma instructed him in the direction he needed to go and he blasted off violently. Bulma felt her blood rush to her feet as the queasiness sunk in. She laid her head against Vegeta's shoulder to try and bide the sick feeling and felt him stiffen slightly. She sighed and nuzzled into his neck, breathing in his scent, completely unconsciously. He smelt like sweat and dirt and blood. It wasn't pleasant and made her feel worse, but she made no comment. Instead she closed her eyes and tried to find some peace. She would need it for what was to come.

When they finally touched down the first thing Bulma noticed was the silence. She knew Kuririn and Gohan could sense energy, so, upon feeling Vegeta's power approaching did they hide, or were they not even there? Her scouter's built in Dragon Radar beeped incessantly indicating that even if her friends weren't present, the Dragonballs still were.

"Gohan, Kuririn!" Bulma called out. She hoped that upon hearing her voice, they would become conscious of her place and come out.

"They aren't here," Came the definitive grunt from Vegeta.

Bulma turned in surprise and looked over at the Saiyan, who stood straight, glaring about the terrain like he wanted to be anywhere but. She forgot that he could sense energy. He must have noticed her eyes on him, for in an instant his head snapped and looked at her, those hard eyes narrowing on her. "Where are the Dragonballs?"

"Oh, um," Looking at her calculations on the tinted glass, she walked over to a large gathering of rubble. Bulma's eye twitched in irritation as she easily spotted the bright yellow sack, hidden horribly under the rocks. It was so obvious anyone could have spotted it a mile away. What were her friends thinking?

"Kuririn…Gohan…you both are completely brain dead," Her blue eyes rolled skyward as she huffed the bag from the wreckage. She dragged the bag over to the less than helpful Saiyan and dropped it by his feet.

"There," Bulma huffed and wiped her forehead. The bag was heavy and Vegeta didn't seem all that inclined to help.

"Open it," Vegeta grunted and Bulma felt a shot of anger touch her.

"What, you still think I'm tricking you? You think I booby trapped this or something?" Vegeta just gave her an aggravated look and Bulma sighed and went about untying the bag. "Fine, but you can't just boss me around like that…"

As she gave one final tug the bag gave her purchase. The warm rays of the Namekian suns shined down and danced across the surfaces of bright orange stone. Carefully tucked away in the bag the Dragonballs nestled themselves quietly just as she promised.

"See? What did I tell you? No more tricks."

There came a look on Vegeta's face resembled a grin. The side of his mouth quirked in a smirk, but his eyes told the story of unimaginable delight. Placing the ball in his hand into the bag with the others, Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but at the same instant froze and snapped his head violently to the side and her scouter began to spastically sing.

"What's…What's going on?" Bulma asked, not enjoying what her scouter was presenting her with. In a parade of fearsome numbers and beeps, Bulma's redesigned scouter spoke of promises of violence and destruction miles from their location.

"It's the Ginyu Force," Vegeta snarled, his fist clenching, but all of a sudden relaxing and a positively mischievous look cavorted his face as he turned to recognize her. "And your little friends…"

All color drained from her face as the eerie words and their definite intention spread over her. There was no way that they could survive in a fight against the Ginyu Force; Bulma knew that for a fact. Compared to the elite group, her friends would be flattened in minutes. She had seen their power first hand, watched as they effortlessly tossed Vegeta around like a cat playing with an injured mouse. She saw it again whilst in the hands of Freeza. The bitter memory caused her to chill and the fear for her friends to heighten in panic.

"We've got to help them," Bulma insisted, staring at Vegeta pleadingly. "_You've_ got to help them, please!"

Vegeta snorted, "Why should I?"

"Because they'll die!" Bulma shouted. The earnest in her words and vehemence in her voice made him look over at her with a glare.

"And why should I care exactly?" Vegeta stubbornly argued. She watched as his teeth clenched together. "Maybe I should just let them die and spare me the trouble of killing them later."

Something snapped in Bulma at the cavalier connotations of his words. Her friends were dying and all she knew was that this man, the one who she had to place her trust in, was going to let them die. In anger she banged on his chest plate, not surprised that he didn't even budge. "You cold-hearted bastard! You said you would help us!"

Vegeta quelled her assault by easily snatching her tiny fists. His lips thinned into a grim line that told her his patience was running thin. His fists tightened on her wrists, and Bulma bit her lip from the pain. "The extent of my help doesn't involve babysitting and getting you all out of all the contrite situations you crawl into. They were stupid enough to let the Ginyu track them, let them pay the penalty for it."

His graveled voice left a bad note in the air and Bulma struggled against his hold. "No!"

"Yes," Vegeta countered, pulling her up against his body. She fit uncomfortably against his body, both of their armors clashing and bumping into odd angles. "You have located the Dragonballs for me. What happens to them is of no consequence to me."

Bulma's struggling became more violent. "You selfish, prick! Let me go, I don't want your help anymore, I can do it myself!" Her face grew red with anger as she observed him glaring at her with an amused, evil look. With their faces so close together Bulma was in range to kiss him. For once, his close proximity didn't cause any sort of fiery wanting desires in her blood. Her friend's deaths were in hand and nothing but rage fueled her now. Taking any choices she could, Bulma nestled her face in Vegeta's neck and found his flesh between her teeth. Bulma bit down with all her might and grinded. Instead of feeling him tense and howl in pain, Vegeta snorted in laughter. Effortlessly Vegeta pulled her off of his neck and clamped onto her shoulders painfully.

He stared into her face with a mirthful expression. "Oh, like to play rough, do we?" He sneered. One of his gloved hands released her shoulder to wipe against her chin, wiping away his blood. He brought his thumb to his mouth and exaggeratedly began licking it off. "I can play rough too."

"Fuck you," Bulma snarled.

"I just might," Came his gruff chuckle. It passed through her and Bulma felt herself shiver. How did things escalate to such a point? When did Vegeta's threats suddenly turn into erotic suggestions? When did she realize she enjoyed them?

"But I have business to attend to first. I can't have Ginyu getting in my way after all. He's one factor that I need eliminated."

Ocean blue eyes widened. "You mean, you'll help them?"

"Absolutely not," Vegeta denied, sounding insulted. "I told you, their fates are of no importance to me. However, I can't have Ginyu and his bum chums alive and getting in my way. From our last battle, I have gotten stronger. I can easily take him out now."

If Bulma knew anything, she knew an opportunity when there was one. His offer was better than nothing, and at least with Vegeta there, there was a larger possibility that her friend's would survive, and even of Vegeta killing the remaining Ginyu Force members. Her heart gave a sudden pang at the sudden thought of the red headed giant. The large buffoon had saved her life and she really didn't want to see him dead, but knew Vegeta would never show him mercy.

The Saiyan gave a grunt and pushed Bulma off of him like she was a most willing whore who threw herself at him. "Put the Dragonballs back where you found them. We will return to them shortly."

Bulma grumbled but did as she was told, though hid the bag in a much more concealing way, if you ask her. She said nothing as Vegeta snatched her up and blew away into the sky. Her full focus was on her friends, hoping that they would make it in time. She knew he was only bringing her along so that she didn't run off with the Dragonballs, and not to reunite her with her friends. And where was Goku? Because of the lack of night, she wasn't sure how much time had passed. When was her trusted friend going to show up? They needed his help. They needed all the help they could get and the more time that passed, the less likely they had for victory.


	21. Chapter 21

I don't really know what to say... Obviously I can't control certain things that happen in life, whether for better or worse. I can only say thank you to all who have taken the time to read this and who have given me the graces of their prayers. I am doing alright now, for the most part anyway (I can still breathe), though still going through quite a bit. I am not overly fond of the idea of having my personal life on the internet, and my dear friend has had a stern talking to.

I won't beg for foregiveness for my long absence, understandably. My vision hasn't returned 100%, so please excuse any little typos there nmight be. I did try to find them all.

Again, I wish to thank you all for your contributions. It means a great deal to me.

Chapter 21- The REAL Chapter

Bulma could never withstand the heavy winds that plowed in her face whenever she flew with someone. No matter how many times she had been carried by her friends or Vegeta, the winds still blew in her face and lashed at her sensitive eyes, forcing them to remain shut the majority of the flight to avoid the stinging burn that accompanied it. Luckily, the space suit Recoome had given her was very thermal, and protected her against the cold she would normally feel. In the back of her mind she absently wondered over the alien fabric. She knew it could also stretch to fit beings hundreds of feet tall and not lose form. She couldn't wait to actually begin experimenting with the fabric and find out all its intricacies.

The flight didn't last very long, and before Bulma could properly focus on the landing, they were already in a clearing. Her feet touched the cracked earth and the silence was carried like a coat over her. No one moved, no one made any sounds; only the winds whispered to her, giving her a silent prayer as it whistled by. Taking a deep breath, Bulma finally let go of Vegeta and took a step back. Hesitantly she looked behind her and prepared herself for the sights before her. Her friends were there, she knew, but she didn't know their condition. The sight of them made her want to gasp. Instead, she stood rooted on the spot and let her eyes grow wide; swallowing the gasp she desperately wanted to give out.

They were alive at least, or so she hoped. Kuririn was the only one standing. His orange gi was ripped and bloodied. His face was swollen and beaten. She could see his knees through the torn fabric, and noticed their raw bloodied stumps. With a wave of panic she scoured the area for her friend's son, and found the young boy not a long distance away. He was lying on his stomach and barely moving. How had this happened so fast? They had only just found their power levels, and must have only been fighting mere minutes. Such brutal strength and unrelenting powers was no match for her friends.

It was only then did she pay attention to Kuririn's face. His eye was still swollen, but the other good eye was staring at her with wide-eyed shock.

"Bulma?" He asked sounding disbelieving.

Her heart clenched at the rough, labored breath of Kuririn. He sounded terribly weak, and she knew it took much out of him to even bring out a voice from his injured form. From behind him, she could see Gohan struggling to look up at her mention.

Without thinking about anyone else in the area, Bulma ran towards her friends, kneeling slightly so she could look over Kuririn.

"I'm sorry…" She began, not knowing what to say. "We should have been here sooner."

She avoided touching him for fear of aggravating a sensitive wound. He was not answering her, and it was only then did she realize that he was staring at her company. She had completely forgotten about Vegeta in her haste to meet with her friends. Kuririn's good eye stared at the Saiyan with unbridled hate and fear - an odd mixture she was becoming progressively familiar with. She could tell Kuririn was trembling inside, lost as to how to respond to yet another hostile. To him, he only saw him as another evil being out to kill them.

Vegeta didn't seem to notice Kuririn's numbing stare. He instead had his visage fixed on the two Ginyu members before them. He had probably been staring at them since the moment they landed. Bulma took this time to chance a glance over at their adversaries. Yes, there were only two of them, and mentally congratulated herself for assuming correctly that their leader would stay behind. All that stood before them was the remainder of the Ginyu force, minus their captain. Guldo she had seen in his last moments before being decapitated, and Recoome, the large burly giant, she realized with a wave of sorrow, was probably also dead. This left Jeice and Burter behind, smirking away with large, arrogant leers directed solely at Vegeta.

"Well, what do we have here?" The silky words of Burter slithered its way into the air and disrupted the silence. "I knew Vegeta really was helping out these aliens after all."

"Tch," Vegeta huffed and shifted his weight to his back leg, disregarding the massive blue alien's declaration. "These puny earthlings can only get in my way. I'm just surprised it has taken you so long to kill them. What's the matter? Having trouble with a shrimp and a toddler barely out of diapers?"

This made them growl, dropping their humored glances and clenching their fists.

"Of course not!" Came the outraged yell of Jeice, who- in Bulma's opinion- was the exact opposite of his companion in every way. Burter was roughly nine feet tall, skin scaly and blue, and his voice was raspy and smooth; like a snake's hiss. Jeice was about Kuririn's size in height, skin as red as a cooked lobster with a flowing crest of white hair and a voice that was thick with accent and sharp.

"We only wanted to prolong the fun until we found you," He snarled as his eyes met with Bulma. She blanched at his gaze and unconsciously took a step back. "And I see you brought your little bitch with you."

"Bulma, what are you doing here?" Finally came Kuririn in the conversation. Turning back to her friend she looked pleadingly at him. Then, in a hushed voice he inclined towards Vegeta, "And why did you bring _him_ here?"

Bulma took a deep breath before answering. Taking a look behind her, she could see the Ginyu Force had focused in on Vegeta as they continued to banter each other.

"Kuririn look, I know he's a bad guy but we need all the help we can get."

"But you can't trust him!" Kuririn gasped in exasperation.

She bit her lip nervously, not sure how to tell him the next part. "I made a deal with him – don't look at me like that –I saw Freeza's power first hand and it's… it's ten time worse than anything Vegeta's got. If we have any hope of defeating him, we need to stick together."

Kuririn kept his face in a stone expression, staring at Bulma with a gaze she had never seen on his face. She had never felt threatened by Kuririn, who always acted meek and harmless, despite being one of the strongest humans she knew. Now however, she felt intimidated by his stare as he saw something on her face she didn't.

"Something happened while you were with him, didn't it?" He didn't sound overly accusing, but his tone was harsh and it was stated more like a fact than a question.

Bulma felt the tingling in her spine and gulped. "Don't be stupid; nothing happened."

She knew Kuririn could see through her lie, but before he could press on, Bulma walked over to Gohan's prone form.

"Gohan?" She asked meekly. She was afraid to touch him, and was half afraid he was dead, despite what her scouter said. When he grunted and moved slightly, Bulma's heart relaxed somewhat. Tentatively he picked up his head and stared at her. Bulma gulped back her shock at his beaten face. How can any child be exposed to such brutality? She could hardly recognize the boy, yet he stared up at her like not a thing bothered him, a smile of innocence on his face that made her heart melt.

"Bulma…" It came out cracked, and as he used his mouth, a small stream of blood fell off his lips.

"Shh… there, there; don't strain yourself." She hushed in a motherly way she was not known for. Hesitantly she took the boy into her arms and rested his head on her lap. "Are you alright?"

He cleared his throat somewhat. "Yeah," He groaned when he tried to move his arm. "I just got knocked over by the big one… I think my arm's broken."

Bulma looked over at the guilty limb and noticed without touching that it was in fact broken. The skin was bruising already and had swollen to twice its size. "Hmm, where's a senzu bean when you need one?" Bulma murmured.

"They're stronger than us…" He continued. Suddenly he looked down sadly. "I wish dad was here…"

"He's on his way Gohan, don't you worry. Your dad will get here and kick their butts."

Gohan gave a cracked smile and she knew if he didn't hurt so much, he would have laughed. "Yeah…"

His eyes trailed passed her as if he only then realized who else was there. When his eyes found Vegeta she saw his mouth curve into a frown and he slowly sat up and out of her arms. Cradling his broken limb he addressed her, without looking away from Vegeta.

"What is he doing here?"

Bulma sighed at the familiar question. "Don't worry about him. I convinced him to help us."

At these words, Gohan gasped. "How did you do that?"

Giving a small playful smirk, Bulma fluffed her hair. "With my charming feminine wiles, that's how." She teased.

Gohan, being too young to truly understand her joking comment, only stare confused at her; which she knew he would. "Listen; don't worry about how I managed to do it, just trust me on this. Right now he's our best asset next to your dad and it's better to have him on our side."

Gohan sat in silence for a bit, thinking over her words with a mind above that of his years. After a long bit, he nodded his head, still not losing focus on the Saiyan. "Alright," He finally said. "I may not like him, but I trust you Bulma. You're smart, and I know you're right about this. We do need all the help we can get. These guys are powerful, and I'd rather fight with Vegeta then against him."

Bulma was pleased to see that Gohan agreed with her, somewhat surprised that he trusted her words faster than Kuririn seemed to. Gohan was still very young however, and went to his elders for guidance. Hopefully with time she can get Kuririn to see it the same way.

"Enough!" The sharp tone of Jeice pierced through any further conversation and all eyes seemed to suddenly focus on him. His face was a contorted assembly of fury and embarrassment, fists clenched into tight balls and teeth grinding against each other. Vegeta on the other hand, was still standing in the same area, arms crossed regally over his chest, and a large, arrogant smirk on his lips. He looked very pleased about something, and Bulma didn't have to think hard to realize Vegeta's goading had worked up the smaller warrior.

"I will not take this any longer! Prepare to meet your doom, Saiyan!" Jeice crouched into a fighting stance, and Vegeta followed in suit, his jarring sneer never once taking flight from his expression.

Just like Bulma had expected, their bodies vanished in a blur of color. Vegeta's blue suited form and Jeice's vivid scarlet tone leaving afterimages that seemed to linger for no more than a few seconds. The beeping of her scouter pin-pointed their locations, and glancing at her scouter, focused her attention in the area in which it told her the warriors were fighting. She still couldn't see a thing, but Bulma was relieved that she could at least locate their general area. The smacking of fists and grunts seemed to burst from thin air, and it was because of the scouter, she was able to tell when to back up, which turned out to be more than helpful.

A split second was all Bulma had, and she was thankful for Gohan. The young child had grabbed her and flew into the air, just in time for her to see a streaking red creature plummet in the spot they once occupied. Dust picked up and Bulma had to cover her face from the small storm of particles.

"It's not safe here. Stay back, Bulma." Gohan told her sternly.

Never one to ever get over the shock, Bulma nodded her head and the moment he touched them back down onto solid earth, her feet back-pedaled to a jutting rock in the distance. There she surveyed the battle over the stone. Jeice picked himself up out of the crevice and sneered at Vegeta, who landed and began mocking the red skinned alien. It didn't look like Vegeta had even broken a sweat, while Jeice looked out of breath.

"Im-impossible! How did you get so strong?" He gasped out.

"Do you see now?" Vegeta's voice rang with mirth and arrogance. "You are no match for a Saiyan elite. Kneel before me and kiss my boots and I may consider letting you live."

Jeice growled, wiping his lip. "Never, you Saiyan scum! There is no way an underdog like you can ever beat the powerful Ginyu Force!"

"Underdog?" Vegeta repeated with a raise of a brow. "My, that means a lot coming from Freeza's pet lapdog. So tell me, are you going to fight, or just bark at me some more?"

Jeice growled again, and Bulma watched closely as his eyes skirted over to his comrade. She couldn't tell if Burter was looking back, for the alien had no pupils, but it seemed like they locked eyes.

"You won't last, Vegeta!" Jeice charged at Vegeta head on, not even bothering to fly. Instead, he raised a fist and came stampeding towards him. Bulma felt the ground rumble underneath her from the force and grabbed the rock tighter.

'What a fool,' Bulma thought. Vegeta was clearly the stronger of the two; her scouter said as much. Yet, Jeice was running blindly at Vegeta like a mad man with no strategy or form. 'Sloppy.' She reasoned. Anger your opponent, and they lose their cool and become careless. She wondered if that was Vegeta's plan all along. She wouldn't put it past him.

As predicted, Vegeta saw the obvious attack and easily made to dodge it, however, the minute Jeice appeared in front of him, the red man came to a sudden and startling halt. Vegeta's eyes went wide in surprise by his sudden vaulting stop.

In that split second, a blue blur crossed into the mix and Bulma watched as Burter appeared behind Vegeta and slammed his foot in the back of Vegeta's head.

The Saiyan cried out in shock and stumbled forward, correcting himself just in time to have Jeice coming behind him. Easily he blocked the first three punches, but the sudden blue fist that pounded into his back had him careening again. As Vegeta swayed and finally stood, he glared at the two who were standing backs facing each other, arms crossed. Both smiled disdainfully.

"There is no way you can defeat us, Vegeta." Burter mocked, "I am the fasted in the entire Universe, and together we are an unstoppable force!"

"Feh," Vegeta grunted and went at them again.

Bulma, who had been messing with her scouter, didn't see what was going on, and couldn' teven if she tried, but she perceived that he was going after Burter first. However, the blurs of colors allowed her to see that Vegeta was obviously losing. Every time Vegeta turned to dodge one attack, the other would come around and nail him with a powerful blow. This went on for ten painful minutes with little difference. It was obvious that Vegeta was stronger than the two, but combined and with Burter's speed, they had the upper hand. It was a cruel battle. Bulma watched with concerned eyes as Vegeta slowly began to become exhausted, and was swatted back and forth like a fly between the two Ginyu members.

"It isn't fair…" Bulma muttered, looking at Vegeta being bounced to and fro. "They are double teaming him…" She knew the Ginyu Force didn't play fair, and obviously had no sense of honor, but it was painful for Bulma to watch. She couldn't help the trace of concern she felt for the Saiyan. Vegeta had grown on her slowly during the events, and while she knew nothing could come of it, she felt connected. Two survivors working together for a common goal; it was hard not to feel something. She had seen pieces of him she never thought she would see in someone like Vegeta. Originally thinking he was nothing but a mindless killer, she was forced to observe him in weakness and depravity. She saw a man who still had his humanity buried deep. He had a sense of honor and even respect, and she knew now more than ever, that she couldn't ignore the emotions she felt for him anymore.

"Vegeta…"

Kuririn knew something wasn't right the minute he noted the Saiyan standing next to his old friend. He knew of Vegeta's dangerous ways and of Bulma's lust for "bad men," and he honestly didn't like where he saw this going. Vegeta had held her a little too tightly to him when they landed, and he knew that look in her eyes she held now. Bulma was staring at Vegeta with a look he knew all too well. She looked worried about him, worried about that insane, egomaniacal villain they fought so hard to defeat on Earth. What had he done to her? Why was Bulma falling into his trap? She was always falling for all the wrong people, but Vegeta was different.

Oolong was a pig who disguised himself as a handsome man to capture women for his own enjoyment. General Blue worked as one of the strongest soldiers for the red Ribbon army in search of the Dragonballs. Yamcha was a desert bandit, isolated from the world and stole for his own leisure. Vegeta was a killer of entire races, committing acts of genocide for personal gain, destroyed entire planets and had not one shred of compassion in him. Having crushes was one thing, but he simply couldn't believe Bulma was getting herself involved with Vegeta.

He heard her whisper the Saiyan's name and all hope was lost. He knew by that look she was giving him and the whimsical sound of his name off her lips. She was already lost. No matter what she said or did, he knew Bulma had grown feelings for the dangerous Saiyan, and he prayed something could be done before she got hurt.

The continued sounds of the battle stole his attention away from Bulma. Turning his head, he watched as the Burter and Jeice continued to knock Vegeta around. It was rather painful to watch; Vegeta was a mighty warrior, and his strength outnumbered both of these. He could feel the ever-climbing strength of the Saiyan every time he met him. However, strength wasn't everything. The battle was far from fair. Burter was wickedly fast; Kuririn himself was having a bit of trouble following his movements. They were playing dirty, and Kuririn didn't think Vegeta would survive if this went on.

He was rather torn. What was he to do? Let the Ginyu Force kill off the mighty Vegeta, or come to the Saiyan's aid? Both were remarkably powerful and deadly, and both were evil and wanted the Dragonballs for wicked purposes. However, Bulma had insisted that Vegeta was –temporarily at least– on their side. Could this be true? Kuririn didn't trust Vegeta one bit. He knew that Bulma's infatuation with the Saiyan was most likely her reasoning for trusting him. She still had a point however, the Ginyu Force were working for a force much more powerful than Vegeta, and letting such a powerful allying force like Vegeta die would be a waste.

He didn't doubt that Vegeta would probably turn on them the second the Dragonballs were in his possession, but he realized that he was going to have to make a choice. Would he help the Saiyan and pray that they all lived through it? He felt he had to; there was no other logical choice. He saw this Freeza character, and although he looked far from menacing, he knew how deadly he truly was.

Another crash was heard and Kuririn was jarred from his thoughts. Looking into the distance, he saw the rocks of a cliff slowly fall forward and crash unto the ground. Kuririn cringed, knowing who was under the wreckage. This must stop. They had a better chance of getting their wish and stopping Freeza with Vegeta still alive. Once that was accomplished, they could deal with the Saiyan.

There was loud laughter ringing around the clearing. Jeice and Burter were standing arrogantly a ways away, staring at the rock pile that buried their enemy.

"Poor bloke," Jeice chuckled, "He was always so proud. I knew he never had anything to back it up."

His partner snickered in agreement. "Yes, the poor fool always did that…I'm surprised he survived this long."

"Do you think he'll be coming out of there this time?"

"Maybe, want to place a bet?"

Jeice thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "Alright, if he's dead; drinks are on you tonight."

"And if he's not?" Burter inquired.

A slow grin grew on Jeice's face. "Then I want to be the one who kills him."


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Alright...don't hate me. I've been gone for...well over a year now... Health problems and severe lack of inspiration... no excuse, I know. I have to get back into the swing of things by re-watching the series thanks to the Kai... I've just not been motivated and the inspiration is running dry. I hope it doesn't show in this chapter, because I try to give it my all. If it seems a bit lacking, I apologize for that. I am thinking of maybe getting a beta to help alleviate this problem, because the last thing I want to do is disappoint anyone. I am also going back and correcting a few minor mistakes made in a few chapters. I plan to eventually do a complete edit once finished, though nothing serious, just cleaning up mishaps and pesky grammatical errors.

Well, here is the next chapter. I hope to have the next chapter out before too long. Thank you all for your support and patience...however few of you readers there are left.

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Chapter 22

Vegeta was losing. He hadn't a history of losing fights, and it was only recently that his pride was maimed (the most recent being his battle on Earth). Then, just like now, he had no comrades to help, not as though he'd accept their help regardless. But unlike the previous battle, this one had an audience to witness his ruin. Spectators that weren't joining into the fight on either side, and watched his own humiliation with wide, rapt eyes. They weren't quite his enemies (for sure, how pathetic could he be to consider the bald midget human and blue haired witch and the half breed his enemies?), nor were they close enough to be considered his comrades. No, just a handful of earthlings watching as his body was flung around like a toy. The degradation hurt more than the actual blows from the Ginyus. Neither had a great advantage on him in strength, rather, they had merely the upper hand on the situation and grasped it, having no qualms to use it, no matter how dirty and dishonorable it may have been.

If only he could cripple one of them, render one of the members motionless— then he could take out the second. As it stood, his chance of survival was at a bare minimum. As he was knocked about, the rocks and debris picked up, causing a small film of dust to powder the air. As sick and as savage as the fight was, they couldn't tear their eyes away. The three spectators watched upon with a sick fascination, like passerbyes staring transfixed at a car crash. Two were torn between helping the Saiyan, and the other incapable of even forming a proper stance.

When they witnessed the blow that sent the Saiyan into a grave of rocks, they had feared the worst. His life force still thrived violently and strong, as arrogant as his body was in oppose to defeat. Yet he didn't rise just yet, and the attack seemed to finalize, to condemn, the already dreaded realization; Vegeta couldn't defeat them on his own. The remaining Ginyu members were pleased at the victory the course of events seemed to propose.

Bulma heard their bets on Vegeta's life, and frowned. How could one make such jokes on someone else's life? These aliens were deplorable. If she had the strength herself, she'd do something to wipe those smug expressions off their faces. It wasn't until they heard the rubble stir did a small pang of relief hit her, only to quickly be replaced with dread as the red skinned Jeice took a stance and began to charge an attack. Bulma chanced nervous eyes towards Kuririn, who was watching just as shocked. There was a second where she was about to yell at Jeice to stop and for Kuririn to get into gear, but any breath she could have used was quickly spent.

It was faster than she could have seen. In one instant, Kuririn disappeared and Jeice let loose a large yellow stream of energy. A second later she could hear the impact the beam of light made in an impressive orchestra of thundering and crashing. Her heart jumped into her throat, wondering if Kuririn had helped Vegeta, or if he hadn't managed to escape the blow.

Kuririn knew that he didn't have much time to contemplate when he saw the red alien prepare an attack. It was his own split-second decision that moved him forward, and before he knew it, he was digging Vegeta out of the rocky earth and above the attack. Kuririn was somewhat amazed for a second by his own speed, half wondering if he actually successfully evaded the attack. He was hovering just above when he heard the crash of the energy ball against the terrain, Vegeta's arm held in his grasp, dangling him above the wreckage. He blinked several times, half congratulating himself, and half cursing himself for putting up the risk for Vegeta, of all people.

When they touched down, Vegeta had gained back most of his consciousness. He stood and hastily snatched his hand out of Kuririn's grasp, as if he was poisoned. Kuririn shifted his gaze towards the Saiyan and gulped. He looked furious. His face was almost red with anger as his teeth gnashed and a vain pulsed on his temple. The look he was giving Kuririn now was almost enough to kill.

"How dare you –" He clenched out, fists tightening. Even though his voice was strong, Vegeta looked like he was run over by a stampede. Blood was covering his left cheek and he was marred with much bruising. All in all, he was a formidable sight to behold, and even as he walked with a sort of heavy feel, he still commandeered power.

"How dare you interfere, human." He took a step forward and Kuririn took two back.

"H-Hey now," Kuririn stammered, wanting to avoid any further instigation. "I just saved your life!"

Maybe those weren't the best words to say. He gulped as Vegeta's eyes widened in anger and his brow crease.

"I don't need help from earthlings!" He roared, the energy around him picking up. Kuririn should have known better than to bring to attention his own weakness, and his sudden explosion of energy forced Kuririn back and he stumbled over. Kuririn once again gulped and crawled back as he watched Vegeta fly at the Ginyu members, who upon seeing the whole display, laughed.

He looked far more battered than before, but the air around him screamed fiercely, and the rage on his face kept them all from fear of concern. Vegeta looked savage, chest puffing, nostrils flared, eyes blood-shot and burning. He stopped just short of attacking, and stared at his enemies.

"So, you did survive, did you? Pity that," Jeice remarked crossing his arms.

Vegeta didn't respond, and instead curled back into a fighter's stance. Bulma was sure that all of his muscles must have been screaming in protest and outrage, but his master control let none of it show through on his features. He bowed fluently and confidently, and Bulma envied his flawless power over his body. However, Vegeta didn't make a move. He oddly stood there, as if waiting for his opponent to make the first hit. Burter was upon him, appearing from thin air and landed a blow that sent the stalled warrior soaring into Jeice's direction. The red skinned alien smiled at the sight of his incoming target and prepared for strike. However, perceiving Vegeta was temporarily incapacitated, underestimated the Saiyan, who, upon being launched at such a velocity, gained the momentum he needed to effectively turn, right himself and smash his sailing foot into Jeice's mouth.

There was a wailing cry of surprise and pain that escaped the red Ginyu member. He stumbled back, holding his mouth, an unusual color of blood leaking from his mouth and covering his white gloves. He stared in shocked horror as he felt something give way, and opening his mouth, out fell two delicate white frontal teeth.

"My teeth!" He cried out awkwardly, "My teeth! How –how could you do such a thing! My precious mouth –my face!"

This happened in only a few moments, and in those seconds, Vegeta had landed from his dive attack, and quickly kicked off the ground in a blur that barely was perceived and ran into Burter, who was still looking on shocked. Vegeta wasted no time in taking advantage of his enemy's distraction and landed an upper cut that rattled teeth. The fast Ginyu was sent flying into the air and barely righted himself in time to block Vegeta's onslaught of punches. However, with his partner engrossed in his vanity, Burter didn't stand a chance, and every counter blow, Vegeta was able to perceive and offset in some way.

Bulma couldn't help but smile somewhat, both at Vegeta's comeback in the battle and the degrading distress he delivered to Jeice. She was glad that finally things were going in his favor— in their favor. Burter, on his part, looked rather rattled on Vegeta's sudden comeback and blast of fiery, Saiyan energy. He grit his teeth and tried to slam a fist into his nose, only to have Vegeta catch it easily in his grasp. The Blue Ginyu warrior looked in amazement at Vegeta's reflexes, surprised that someone had moved as fast as he, and the shock stopped him in his tracks for one, fatal second. It was all Vegeta needed. Grasping the blue fist, Vegeta twisted and crouched in such a way, that it forced the taller warrior to bend over to his smaller form awkwardly, exposing his vulnerable, upper torso.

The Saiyan's strike was like that of a viper's. His elbow collided with his solar-plexus, stealing the wind right out of him, and turned so abruptly that he could smash his other hand into the soft tissue of his neck. His hand cut through like butter, flesh easily gave way to his slice, the head jerked back like a ragdoll. There was a gargled, sputtering from the tall warrior. As Vegeta relaxed his stance, Burter tensed his. With a jerking movement, Vegeta withdrew his hand, and like a marionette that lost its master's control, Burter slumped forward in a heap. There was a thick silence; the savage display effectively diminished any sort of happy response Bulma would have had upon seeing a victory. It only left an ominous, lurch of horror and disgust, reminding her that he was still brutal and merciless, a beast as wild and untamed as a hellion of the Devil's in combat.

The tall blue Ginyu member shook slightly, surprising Bulma that he hadn't already died. Calmly, Vegeta strolled towards that spurting, shuddering lump of meat that barely contained life. His partner had watched on, too startled, astonished and horrified to respond, staring with the same sick fascination as the earthling's had earlier. Vegeta offered no final words, no last minute curses, damning the fallen warrior to the beyond, or insult. He just walked over and stopped before him, staring at the creature, garbling and choking on his own vital pearlescent fluids. Burter was left to stare at him, knowing he had lost, barely comprehending how fast it happened, and completely incapable of cursing his executioner, for his throat was completely torn and useless. The ultimate punishment— the ultimate feeling of helplessness and humiliation; the robbing of a dying warrior's final conservable act of maintaining a semblance of pride. He was forced to look into the condemning man's face, his eyes, and accept whatever he said, whatever looks of pity, or disgust, or hatred he so favored and not utter a word. Vegeta had stared for a while, a solid, cold prominence on his harsh features. Burter couldn't even attempt to jumble words; he just hacked uselessly as Vegeta raised a booted foot. In one swift, unforgiving strike, his foot crashed down unto the taller man's mangled neck. A loud, sickening crack was heard, followed by a wet squelching noise as his boot dug deeply into the mangled bits of his flesh. When he lifted his foot, only bloodied pulp was left.

No one dared speak, every breathing person, human or not, stared aghast. Bulma hadn't caught all of this. She only saw when the terrible blow was made, and the slow, condemning foot that nearly severed the head from the body. Bulma felt literally ill. No matter who's side he was on, the act was a shocking one, a disgusting, beastly, carnal act that left all who saw it drop their stomach. It happened so fast. One minute, the two Ginyu members were dominating Vegeta and in a split second, Vegeta had turned the tables, and now one was dead by their feet. It was fearful how quickly and vital every second in battle really was. She saw firsthand that in one split second of distraction, the roles of control could flip and you could be dead before you even saw the blow coming. It honestly scared her.

"You…you…" Jeice staggered back on his feet, still holding his bleeding, gummy mouth. As Vegeta approached, the smaller warrior took more steps back, sensing the predator's intention, and knowing he was doomed.

With his partner dead, Jeice had no chance at victory, no sliver of hope. The walls came crashing down and sealed him in, with no way out. It was in that moment the real waves of dread washed over him. To know these were his last minutes alive, to know that he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. His brain couldn't handle it, panic set in, nerves raced, and fear gripped him with such strength, it paralyzed him. He could almost feel the cold, clammy hands reach up, waiting to catch him as he plummeted into the abyss, to grasp him in their claws and rake him through all seven layers of hell. This was it, he was going to die. Nothing could save him. He would give anything to live, a limb, a promise of submission and loyalty, even his own goddamn children if he had any. But Vegeta never showed mercy or clemency for weak endeavors. Beggars were often killed slower with Vegeta— he had heard the rumors. At the same instance, when all these pleads raced through the mind, a sense of forfeit was made, and surrender was conceived.

There was amusement sparking in his enemy's black eyes. A hunger there, the look of a hunter going in for the kill, to know that the battle was over, the hunt finished, and that he was victorious. He couldn't take his eyes away from Vegeta, who stalked towards him with a calm slowness that Bulma's untrained eyes had no problem following. She saw the terror and fear in the red alien's eyes, as well as the realization, the cruel dreadful knowledge that he was going to die, and the absolute surrendering hopelessness. It was hard to look at someone experiencing that. His eyes were too filled with dreadful emotions and she had to turn her head away. No matter how much she hated the alien, his look was too strong, too intimate with death and fear. How could anyone get used to looking at a man who knows he's going to die? How could someone kill him while looking into those painful terror-stricken pupils?

Jeice's foot had landed on an upturned stone, and the noise it made seemed to set off the timer. Vegeta's form instantly vanished, and his fist seemed to appear before the rest of him. He launched the Ginyu member into the air, and followed his path to meet him. He didn't play with Jeice like Bulma thought he might have. He landed a few solid kicks and punches, and Jeice just slumped around bonelessly, already accepting his fate, and probably too horrified and broken to even feel the blows. He didn't try to fight back, didn't try to defend himself. It was a horrifying discovery. Vegeta fisted the alien's hair, which was now painted and splotched over with his blood. He spun the warrior about before flinging him in the distance. Vegeta, this time didn't follow him, instead, his right hand pulled back and the whirr of energy was formed. The light gathered in his palm in less than a second, but the resulting blast was enough to vaporize his enemy completely. When the dust settled, not even a faint outline could be seen of the other warrior. It was as if he vanished, as if hell itself had opened up and swallowed him whole, leaving not a trace of him behind. The death was lightening; it was fast and silent. Came and went, like grim death itself.

The stench of ozone from the resulting blast tickled Bulma's nose. It was the silence that was a painful one that followed. She didn't know if she had a right to feel happy. She just witnessed Vegeta kill their enemies, yet there was no merriment. It felt wrong in a way, and left a bitter, ominous presence in its quake. Even Gohan and Kuririn picked up on the sensation, and stared with an air of appalling consequence in their eyes. They couldn't cheer like they would have usually done when the enemy was destroyed, because it wasn't truthfully the case. Vegeta wasn't one of them, and a victory for him was simply that; a victory gained by an adversary who fought not for them, but for himself.

Vegeta seemed to hover the air for a bit, a nostalgic look on his face as he stared at the particles of dust that were once his opponent, almost as if he could still see the man. He slowly lowered himself down to the ground, and when his feet touched down, not one of them dared approach. He stared off into the distance, and the three wondered what was to happen now. Would he keep his word and help them, or would he simply turn and kill them now that they were weak?

They watched as he suddenly shifted and huffed, then threw back his head and laughed. It was a laugh not filled with mirth, but one of a dreadful victory.

"See now!" Vegeta cackled, "See what has befallen your precious Ginyu members, Freeza! They were no match for me; none!"

He continued to laugh as Bulma's scouter beeped, and her attention was diverted. Her eyes narrowed, and she took off the device, cradling it in her hands before taking a seat on the ground.

Gohan blinked at the scene, then looked down at Bulma, who pulled out a small screwdriver and opened up the inside panel.

"Bulma," Gohan started, "What are you doing?"

Kuririn turned his head away from the laughing Saiyan to look at his friend, who sat with the scouter and a small kit of some sort, filled with all sorts of mechanical doohickeys he couldn't even begin to ponder the uses for.

"Making your job much easier," She answered, narrowing her eyes and she attached one wire of the circuit board to some external battery like object.

With their questioning looks, Bulma sighed before elaborating. "I couldn't very much do this while all the fighting was going on, too much dust around and it could have gotten inside the wirings. Now that the Ginyu force are gone however, we can start to narrow in on the Dragonballs, and in order to do that, we need to get a diversion going for Freeza so you and Vegeta can nab them."

"Bulma," Kuririn sighed, "Did you see what just happened? Did you see what Vegeta just did out there?"

"Yes, he got rid of the Ginyu members, quite effectively, too I might add," She didn't even bother looking up from her device.

Kuririn looked exasperated. "He tore one of them apart! How can you just brush that off! Bulma, this guy is dangerous, you can't honestly tell me that after seeing that you still feel–"

"What I feel has absolutely nothing to do with anything," Bulma interrupted. "I know he's a loose cannon, we both know that, and while I'll admit that that last display was somewhat… distasteful to look at, it doesn't change anything. I _knew_ he was more than capable of that, visual confirmation means nothing. He's still our only option at this point."

Kuririn looked like he was about to argue. "But Bulma –"

"The woman is right."

At the sudden graveled voice of Vegeta, so close to them, Kuririn jumped and quickly turned.

There, standing before them, was Vegeta. The laughter had apparently died and left his face, and in its place was the regular cold glare.

"I am the only one who has a possibility at defeating Freeza, and your best chance of survival is to stay out of my way and not question me."

"But… Goku," Kuririn pushed. "Why can't we wait for him, he can probably–"

Vegeta snarled. "We do not need Kakarrot! I will be the one to destroy Freeza! Not that imbecile!"

"All of you, shut up!" Bulma yelled out, and all eyes immediately turned towards her. "I can't concentrate with all your whiny bickering!"

Vegeta looked about ready to say something, but Kuririn wisely spoke up. "Sorry Bulma, I'm just trying to…"

He trailed off as he noticed she wasn't paying him any attention. Her sole focus was on the device currently in front of her. Her brows were creased in concentration.

"Bulma, what exactly is that, and what did you do?" Gohan asked, the ever inquisitive child.

Bulma didn't even look up from her work.

"Oh, this? It's an external circuitry unit I built a while ago. It allows me to hack and rewrite the terminal codes found in devices that read electronic frequencies."

She chanced a glance at her friends, and by the looks on their faces, she continued. "Okay. The scouter has many different uses, you see? The most common being the ability to detect the electromagnetic signals given off of living organisms; what you guys refer to as 'ki.' It also doubles as a communication link between all networking scouters. They are all linked up to one main satellite, to allow people to communicate with each other, like a radio broadcast or a cell phone. With my device, I was able to trace the tracer in a sense. By hacking the satellite correspondence, I can control what frequencies the scouters pick up, and also alter and limit what energy readings scouters can access."

Gohan was the first to speak, his eyes growing wide. "Are you telling me that Freeza can't trace our ki now? Because you hacked their scouters?"

Bulma winked. "I sure do. That wasn't hard. I could have done that anywhere with just my scouter alone. I did that as you started the fight, though, so he has no idea that most of his Ginyu squad are dead," Bulma's eyes twitched as the device beeped. "As of right now, I need to finish this, which could take an hour or so. If all goes well, Freeza and Ginyu's scouter will give an emergency call from across the planet to where a few of his stray henchmen stumbled upon a temperamental Saiyan hiding the Dragonballs…"

There was a brief paused before Gohan smiled brightly. Kuririn also sighed heavily and grinned. "Bulma, if this actually works… you're a genius."

Bulma grinned in response, rolling her eyes. "I already know that."

Vegeta just gave a decidedly unimpressed humph and crossed his arms and Bulma couldn't help but feel disappointed. Didn't anything she do impress him?

"_If_ it works," Vegeta added giving her a nasty sneer.

Her eyes narrowed. "It will, just you wait."

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And what if he simply sends Ginyu instead of going himself? Or what if he takes the balls with him? Then what will you do?"

"He'll go himself, trust me," Bulma said flatly. "I don't think he trusts Ginyu to beat you. He's too worried right now about him messing up to send him, and Freeza won't be moving the Dragonballs. He's too arrogant to think that anyone would have the guts to attack his ship. All our power levels will be picked up several thousand miles from here, so there would be no immediate threat."

"And you know Freeza this well, do you?" Vegeta pressed.

It was Bulma's turn to raise a brow. "I don't know, you tell me."

Vegeta was silent for a while before he gave a dignified humph. "Freeza is over-arrogant enough to do something so foolish. You better just hope that he falls for it long enough for me to grab the Dragonballs and make my wish."

Bulma's immediate swelling victory was mottled somewhat by his vocal admission of "_me_" and "_my_ wish" instead of including them. She chose to ignore it for the time being, and went to picking at the wires on her scouter.

True to her word, about an hour later Bulma finished.

"Done!" Bulma suddenly beamed. Quickly she detached the scouter from the device and closed it back up, positioning it back on her face. The three had stood patiently by, awkwardly silent and uncomfortable. Gohan had spent the majority of the time asking her questions about her work, and Kuririn did his best to ignore the Saiyan for all he could. The wait was a painful one, and reminded him of his wait back on earth for Goku to arrive. Vegeta was there to, only now they were waiting for a different foe altogether. Vegeta for his part had refused to look at anyone, choosing instead of walk off a short distance (making sure to keep them all in eyesight in case they ran off) and ignoring their very existence.

At her call, they all turned their attention to her, Gohan looking excited, Kuririn nervous, and Vegeta skeptical and impatient.

"Well? Did it work?" Kuririn asked, jumping to his feet.

"We'll find out now, won't we?" Bulma bit her lip nervously. This was it. While she was confident that Freeza would take her bait, there was always that faint underlining of worry that itched at her. If this didn't work, they were in trouble. The terrible gut feeling alleviated when she read the powerful energy spike hit her scouter.

That was when all three warriors felt the ever-powerful reading of Freeza sky rocket across the sky. They all felt his power as he jetted overhead in an impressive stream of light. All at once, the three earthlings smiled and exhaled the breath they were unconsciously holding. This was it, he fell for it.

"You did it Bulma!" Gohan smiled. "He's gone!"

"And the Dragonballs…?" Kuririn timidly asked.

Bulma clicked a few times on her scouter. There was a pleasant chirping sound of a cluster of Dragonballs several miles away from them, but thankfully, not moving.

"Are still and sitting for our taking," Bulma finished, smirking triumphantly.


End file.
